


Child of Time and Relative Dimensions

by Fiobri



Series: Eternal Cycle [13]
Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who & Related Fandoms
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Clairvoyance, Companions, Crossing Timelines, Fix-It, Fix-It of Sorts, Gen, He Gets A Child, Lots of Crossing Timelines, Major Original Character(s), New Companions (Doctor Who), Self-Indulgent, Self-Insert, Shapeshifting, Slavery, Telekinesis, Telepathic Bond, Telepathy, The Doctor (Doctor Who) Needs a Hug, Time Travel, duh - Freeform, oc-insert
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-15
Updated: 2020-08-23
Packaged: 2021-02-28 23:34:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 48,199
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23155675
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fiobri/pseuds/Fiobri
Summary: The Doctor rescues a mentally gifted child and takes her in, mostly because of a vague prophecy and the mystery surrounding her. It's the best decision he ever made. Even with the temporal messes, reincarnation, time skipping things, and even stranger abilities.Cycle 1 568. Trick Cycle, Doctor Who.
Relationships: Amy Pond/Rory Williams, Metacrisis Tenth Doctor/Rose Tyler, River Song & Original Character(s), The Doctor & Donna Noble, The Doctor & River Song, The Doctor (Doctor Who) & Martha Jones, The Doctor (Doctor Who) & Original Character(s), The Doctor's TARDIS & Original Character(s)
Series: Eternal Cycle [13]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1314257
Comments: 9
Kudos: 43
Collections: Doctor Who





	1. Goodbyes and Hellos

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [The Blonde Girl](https://archiveofourown.org/works/2560655) by [Lumendea](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lumendea/pseuds/Lumendea). 



> This is my latest project in the series. It's got a long reaching plan that encompasses all of the Doctor's lives, barring the whole Timeless Child thing (probably), and I am planning to write at least some of it. If all else fails I'll just publish the plan. 
> 
> This one is my current obsession so it might get another chapter sometime soon-ish. 
> 
> Then again, school might get in the way. There's lots of studying to be done.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There now exists a CHRONOLOGICAL CYCLE LIST with LINKS! It's the 3rd chapter in ETERNAL CYCLE: MINDSCAPE which is the 20th fic in this series.

The TARDIS was quiet. Too quiet. Way way too quiet, like always when there was no one but him. Quiet meant time to think, to wallow, to have no distractions to his grief. Alone. He always ended up alone. Usually he would try to move on in a snap. To find a distraction and say it didn't matter. That he wasn't lonely, no way, he had the TARDIS and he was the Doctor. Loneliness was for the weak hearted. 

But… This time he couldn't. He just couldn't. 

It had been a month. A whole month since he lost his companions. The one who found him after the devastating war and healed him and the young one who helped him see the beauty and marvelousness of the universe once again. Adaline, the loyal telepath who had been his companion the longest, who had helped soothe the emptiness in his head. Rose, the bright woman who showed him he could still be the Doctor. 

And they were gone. Forever. To a parallel universe. Because he was incapable of keeping anyone close to him  _ safe _ . 

Addie would have smacked him for that thought and his hearts  _ ached _ . He wanted to see them. Even just once before they were completely cut off. 

He had thrown himself into work, searching the ages for the perfect power source he could use to see them. It had helped take the edge off. For a while. At least when he was working. But then there were times like these when he felt frozen and empty. Like there was nothing he could do. Other times he felt anger at the universe raging in his gut, feeling like it took  _ everything _ from him and  _ why hadn't he ended this already-  _

He resolutely ignored how Addie would've smacked him for that thought too. 

It was a blend of those moments. One where he felt he was too broken to ever be fixed. Too empty to ever feel anything ever again. And that was why he didn't immediately notice the blaring alert echoing in the TARDIS. That is, until his ship sent him an urgent hum and zapped his hand that had paused the unnecessary repairs. Again. He blinked slowly, brain whirring to life as he pulled himself up and out. 

He stared at the distress call for a split second too long, wondering if he could even  _ do _ this without  _ them _ , before spurring into action. 

Maybe this would let him forget the grief, just for a little bit. 

xXXx

The door opened to a dimly lit spaceship's storage room that was from around the 18th cen- the Doctor had to stop himself from translating everything to Earth's timeline. Seriously. It helped nothing.  _ Nothing _ . He ignored that almost all of his companions so far had been human. At least partly. 

He pulled out his sonic and scanned a port, looking at the readings. It was an alien spaceship that was seemingly stalled in the middle of space near the Earth. Of course it was near Earth. Why  _ wouldn't _ it be near Earth? He always seemed to end up on that rock full of bumbling, lovable,  _ brilliant _ apes that couldn't contain their curiosity if they tried. He didn't mind. Usually. But  _ right now _ he didn't want to be  _ anywhere _ near the place. At all. Please and thank you, and he didn't often think that. 

Wait. Was that breathing? He slowly turned around to see two humans huddled together and staring at him in unadulterated fear. 

He grinned brightly, not feeling it in the slightest, "Hello, I'm the Doctor and I got your distress signal. What are two humans doing onboard this Sontaran spaceship?" 

The man stared at him, open mouthed, while the woman in his arms looked curious and slightly relieved. They were both dressed in a white and slightly dirty gown that reached just past their knees. Huh. That… wasn't good. For the Sontarans. It wasn't entirely unheard of for them to grab people as 'spoils of war'. 

"While I do not know of a- a  _ signal _ we are certainly in distress", the woman stated desperately, "They took our Johnny!", and then she burst into tears. 

The Doctor wasn't sure what to do with crying women, had never really been, but her maybe husband seemed to have everything under control so he concentrated on the sonic. 

"Johnny? Who's Johnny?", he asked absently, noting that the ship was using an abnormal amount of power for staying nearly still. His mind flashed to another spaceship and-  _ no. No. Don't think about it. _

"Jonathan Millers, our beloved son", the man said with fear and anger at their probably abductors, "Good man, if you truly came here to help, please. We have searched this- this  _ ship _ for him but haven't found a single clue. Those brutes could be doing anything to him!" 

He hummed non-committedly and turned to the door, about to sonic it when it abruptly clicked open and revealed a way better lit corridor. The Doctor stared at the doorway in surprise before turning to the couple with a grin. 

"Yes, I'm here to help. Let's go find Johnny-boy!", he sauntered out the door and mentally corrected his statement into encompassing all the innocents in this mess. 

The corridor was indeed well lit. But… Only to the right. The left side was dark and empty. Someone clearly wanted to lead him somewhere. He sniffed and decided there wasn't any harm in following. It might lead to the one who made the distress signal  _ through time _ in the first place. He didn't check to see if Mr. and Mrs. Millers were behind him, he could hear their footsteps well enough. 

There was a sound of a new door opening. The Doctor looked at it for a moment before peering in and seeing another door open at the end of it. Everything else was closed. Hmm. So they  _ could _ follow their, or  _ his _ , movements. Got that. He walked past a closed doorway just as a loud bang sounded from the other side. The Time Lord stopped to stare curiously as the two humans flinched and sought comfort from each other. It reminded him of  _ them _ and he couldn't think of that so he focused back on the door with his sonic in hand. 

"Hi there, Sontarans!", he told them cheerfully and got a low growl and demands of letting them out, "Sorry, I seem to have lost a boy on your ship and would like to know where you've taken him. Any thoughts?" 

"Coward! You shall face our wrath once we get out of here! A true warrior doesn't hide from battle!", a gnarly voice yelled furiously, banging at the door once again. 

"Good thing I'm not a warrior but a traveller", he said, casual as could be, "You see, I got a distress signal. I'm here to help" 

The two humans behind him gasped and started to edge away even as mutterings and curses and denial was heard from behind the door. He nodded, unsurprised. 

"Yeah, I didn't think you'd call for assistance either. The question is…", he turned his gaze to the ceiling, "...who then?" 

Lights ahead flickered, as if impatient. Something was niggling at his thoughts as he stared at it but he couldn't grasp them. It was annoying. He found it funny that someone had thought to reverse the prisoners' and abductors' places. Kudos for the one with the controls. However they had managed that. He started his rushed walking again with a distracted goodbye to the trapped Sontarans. It must've been rather rude since the answering roar was quite loud. 

The next place seemed like a cafeteria where 21 humans were dressed in rags. Or the strange white hospital gown thingies. Some were poking at the food mistrustfully but others were eating it like starving animals. Which some of them might as well be by this point. Someone had done a  _ really _ good job on switching the two groups' places. Actually, he noted some of the foods that were poisonous to humans had been blocked out from the interface. 

Either this someone was not from Earth or had found a way to read the computer's databank, which wasn't very likely. 

It also made it more dangerous to just up and follow the 'instructions'. He needed to see the command centre. If he was lucky, which sometimes was the case, there would be answers to everything there. None of the humans had sent the distress signal as Millers couple confirmed by asking around. And apparently little Johnny wasn't the only child missing. The youngest of the group right there was a  _ maybe  _ 23-year-old dark skinned woman. Who was a slave. Which was why she didn't know or wasn't sure of her age. 

The Doctor wasn't feeling particularly charitable towards this group of people right then but he would find out what was going on and hopefully save the children. 

The command centre. The bridge. Whatever the Sontarans called it. Mr. Millers and a Leonard Larson (funny name, which was why he remembered at all) wanted to follow him and find their son and daughter respectively. It… wouldn't be safe. At least the lights were trying to lead them another way. He sonicked doors open and the lights went down as  _ someone _ tried to keep them away from the controls. At this point the Doctor was fairly sure he'd made the right call what with how ferociously the command centre was protected by the ship. 

It turned out he was half right as the door opened and he had to tackle the humans with him to the ground, away from guns. They were Sontarans. And the door closed in the aliens' faces. Much to their frustration. 

"Okay, ship, I know you can hear me. Do you have a safer way in?", no response, "I need to see what's going on", he told empty air and to Leo and Millers' shock, lights flickered up to show the way. 

The Doctor grinned. 

xXXx

Just a few minutes later there were three unconscious Sontarans at the side of the bridge and the Doctor was looking over the main computer. 

He checked over the control board and saw that they had been trying to reverse the ship's course away from Earth and get the doors open. One screen was running a program that tried to redirect a very strong power that was coming from the back of the ship. Another, a failsafe, had been activated and a lot of processing power was spent on keeping it from succeeding, the computer itself and the creator hacking each other and turning firewalls against the other. The program was trying to burn out the ship's newly installed power source. To make it all manual again. 

He had a sinking feeling in his stomach, "How many children were taken?" 

"Twelve", Leo spat out, "Three of them of respectable status" 

The Doctor ignored that last comment to bring up the twelve sources brimming with power, one fluctuating above them all and three completely submissive. He hissed through his teeth in anger, shut the program working against the power source, and started running. 

He had children to save. 

Now he also knew why the ship tried to get him to the back and wished he'd listened sooner. 

xXXx

Oh. Sealed room. Deadlocked. Sontarans inside. Seemingly the only way to the experimental power sources. 

"Do you have a way in?", he'd rather not waste time looking for one. 

Lights dimmed before flashing in the corner of his eye. Ventilation. Circulating warm air and oxygen out and in. Perfect. For once he was using his screwdriver on bolts and not, say, computers or scanning. He pulled himself up and in before calculating his position right on top of the place he was needed. After some seconds of tinkering he kicked a metal grate down before dropping after it. 

Fourteen pods around the room, two empty, three with zero brain activity shown, and everything else in varying states of use. He quickly started opening them, carefully shutting the programs down and lifting the children out. Some were in their teens but others were definitely younger. All of them were unconscious. 

Except, when he got to the sixth one, someone was staring back at him through the crystal and mouthing for him to get the others first. The child was easily the youngest looking through the slightly distorting glass-like substance. It took him a second to understand that  _ this _ small human being was the one controlling the  _ entire ship _ , their mind directing doors, keeping Sontarans locked up, releasing humans and guiding them away from dangers. He almost gaped, except he had children to save, so he nodded sharply and got everyone else out quickly before turning back to them. 

The pod opened with a hiss and a click and a smell of ozone drifted up. He felt his insides churn as he realized the little girl had been  _ electrocuted _ for her troubles, burning her hair away and leaving patches of red on her dark head. This was completely impossible. She looked like a six-year-old, the dirty cloth blackened and burnt in places, skinny and… dark skin. He'd forgotten what that meant before he saw the light scars around her wrists and ankles, now red from friction and the  _ ship trying to destroy her while she controlled everything _ . 

A slave girl. The humans were all saved by a  _ slave girl _ . He barked a breathless laugh at the absurdity of it all. 

"Than' you… f'r c'min'", her faint and hoarse voice whispered as he gently lifted her stiff body out, hearts clenching as he realized she'd also sent the distress call. 

He hushed her, hearing the damage done to her vocal chords most likely from screaming, "Shh. I came. You're going to be okay now. You all are"

Something scared, hurt, but relieved brushed against his mind even as there was sadness in the mix. Telepathy. Of  _ course _ she was telepathic, this wouldn't have been possible otherwise. She reminded him of- No. Best not think that. Focus on the telepathic child whose mental  _ and  _ physical capabilities had been stretched  _ way _ too thin. He carefully sent a soothing wave of comfort to her as he lifted a hand to her temple to assess the damage. 

Not as bad as it should've been. Still not good. She had been redirecting  _ everything _ , hacking the program trying to destroy her and the others, multitasking between pulling the electricity to her and the empty pods or towards the dead children. The dead children she hadn't been able to save in time. To push the electricity away soon enough. 

So young. She was so _ young. _ Yet something in her felt older than even him. 

Her life had been so hard. She was full of information, full of knowledge she definitely shouldn't have gotten in the freaking  _ late 18th century _ , but it was there. He was half convinced she wasn't completely human at this point no matter what his sonic said. 

Focus. Out. Children to safety. And since she had been controlling the ship with her absurd multitasking abilities… he needed to stop the Sontarans from escaping their prisons and tip off the Shadow Proclamation after getting the humans back home. He sighed. All in a day's work. 

He checked on the other children before up and lifting the small girl on his back after feeling the alarm she slipped into at his thought of leaving her with the others. 

She wasn't heavy. And… she was definitely the worst off here. He could protect her and help her put her mental shields back up if she was close by. 

To tell the truth he was also unwilling to let her out of his sight. 

She reminded him too much of all he had lost and  _ couldn't _ lose again. 

xXXx

It was over. The humans were sent back to Earth, some better and some worse off for their experience. Johnny had been bundled up into her parents' embrace and the slave girl had received incredulous but grateful looks, even if she was mostly unconscious. The slave girl who the Doctor, in good conscience, couldn't leave to the whims of the humans who had hurt her. Who couldn't help her with her recently fully awakened telepathy  _ and _ psychokinesis. He'd been just a teeny tiny bit surprised when things had started floating around when she had panicked at him moving away from her. 

Thus it lead to this situation. Him sitting in the TARDIS infirmary while waiting for her to wake up, one hand laid on her small one and mind multitasking checking her readings, a thermal conduit in need of repairs, and sending the girl's slowly healing mind comfort when she started slipping into nightmares. 

Her biology was odd. He was right in saying she might not be entirely human. Sure, she scanned as one, but her genetic makeup was just a bit off. Her brain was substantially more complicated than any 8-year-old ought to have (the age was a bit of a shock and he was even  _ more _ angry at whoever had been her 'owner', seeing how malnourished and small she was, not to mention the faint scars on her back indicating a whip of some sort). It was odd how many psychic humans he attracted, though none had been quite as young as she was. Aden too had been 14 when they'd met. 

She was so small and fragile and the Doctor feared to keep her with him. He'd stubbornly decided not to care. It would only lead to more heartache when she left or  _ died _ or- or something. 

So. He'd take care of her until she'd get better and then get her somewhere nice and safe where he didn't have to worry about an  _ 8-year-old child _ getting killed or dying because she was associated with  _ him _ . 

Speaking of, she'd wake up any second now. The TARDIS' sickbay was full of advanced medical equipment for all kinds of species and had worked wonders for the girl's health problems. 

Her eyes scrunched up, opening just a crack before slamming shut against the light. She whimpered and the Doctor understood how bad her headache must be. She'd almost  _ died _ with the stunt she pulled, and even then it was only possible with the other children acting as alternative brainpower for her. She'd just rallied them together and focused it on her telepathy. She had been forcing it on the computer and it had worked. 

_ 'Hullo, Sleepyhead. How are you feeling?' _ , the Doctor enquired mentally. 

She relaxed at his presence and he wondered how she knew him. Why she trusted him so much with only their brief meeting. She shouldn't. He wasn't a good- He cut the thought off, not comfortable thinking about it. Not since Addie had quite literally beaten it out of him. 

She didn't send back words, just relief and trust and anxiety for everyone on that cursed Sontaran ship. He told her what had happened and was rewarded by her slowly relaxing the more she heard. Really, she trusted him way too much. There was a moment of quiet as the Doctor struggled to feel anything other than longing for his species, for his telepathic companions. The little girl's presence he could feel at the back of his mind now was so familiar yet _ un _ familiar it  _ ached _ . 

He really, really shouldn't even  _ entertain _ the idea of keeping her. 

_ '...T...AR...D...IS…?' _ , he caught her distracted thought, along with the feeling of exhausted confusion and hope. 

And suddenly he was more alert, "How did you know?" 

She tiredly opened her eyes and the Doctor was surprised. He could've sworn her eyes were a dark brown, not light gray. They lazily drifted around the room's dimmed lights before finding him. She smiled, dry lips stretching in a way that probably felt uncomfortable. 

_ 'Been here… Before… I mean  _ Before _ , not… here' _ , she tried to explain,  _ 'Here's not the same, but is' _

He didn't understand. Her feelings told him there was a big difference with before and Before but he didn't know what that meant. The Doctor frowned at the young child. 

"Do you mean a parallel universe?"

But she'd already slipped to a doze. He sighed, aggravated. Of  _ course _ this girl had to be a mystery. Now he  _ had _ to keep her here for that much longer. 

xXXx

It was another two hours before the girl woke up fully. She sat up, looked around wide eyed and promptly started crying silently. He… panicked internally. This body hadn't dealt with crying children. He hadn't been a father in a long  _ long _ time, his children having leaned more towards the Gallifreyan society than his rebellious ways. Only Susan had loved him enough to start traveling with him. Caught him in the act of running away, actually. 

His thoughts automatically shied away from the sore subject as he focused back on the girl. 

Her shields weren't as they probably were before they'd been torn apart on the Sontaran ship so her feelings were projecting. Bouncing on his shields. Disbelief, uncertainty of success, relief so profound it threatened to drown him, tentative hope, fear tearing at her from the inside, and the combination of that creating an overwhelmed  _ mess _ . Thus, her body didn't know how to cope. Her injured  _ mind _ didn't know how to cope. And she started crying. 

That's what he theorized happened, anyway, and he reached for her in sympathy. She shot out of bed like a skittish kitten, frightened, an image of chains and something painful flashing in her mind. He felt shock, then cold, then  _ furious _ at the one who gave her-  _ she's just eight!-  _ PTSD, before running after her while projecting comfort and apologies. 

He found her in the console room. She was frozen near the doorway and staring up at the centre column in awe and shock. There was something building up, an emotion he couldn't quite name. 

"Hey", he called to her gently and she turned with a start, staring at him with wide eyes that were definitely the lightest grey he'd ever seen. Except for- No. 

"Doctor", she whispered, overwhelmed, and the dam burst, the overflowing relief,  _ hope _ , happiness, the feeling of  _ Home _ brushing over  _ everything _ . 

Before he knew it the girl had launched herself at him, arms wrapping around his waist and face buried in his stomach. Home. She felt like she was  _ home _ . That the- That the TARDIS was home,  _ he _ was home. It was all too much. He wanted to both run away as fast as he could and welcome her with open arms because  _ she reminded him so much of  _ them- 

He put a hand on her bald head to help both of them regain their emotional balance. She calmed soon enough and he crouched down to her level to look into her shining eyes. 

"You know me. How do you know me?", he asked carefully, trying not to scare her. 

She stared at him, uncomprehending, but then seemed to catch herself as she closed her eyes and seemed to instantly slip into meditation. He felt… ignored. He didn't like to be ignored. The girl's brow scrunched up and she opened her eyes again. They were staring at his pinstriped suit with a frown. 

"I'm… I-", she seemed to be searching for the right words, "I got… memories. And visions" 

And another set of floodgates opened. Impressions, war, saving people amongst the destruction, destroying those that tried to destroy them, them against the world, beautiful orange sky, staying by him because he stayed with them, never letting go, ever, burning, one last task- 

He cut off the feed, shielding his mind and staring at her in disbelief, suddenly remembering-  _ knowing _ \- where he'd seen those eyes before. 

"What's your name?", he asked, hands tightening slightly on her thin shoulders. 

She stared back with eyes full of trust and hope as she replied, "Jade" 

_ -dark skin, grey eyes twinkling, laughing at a joke he'd made-  _

_ -"Together?", he asked, tuning his sonic screwdriver even as his partner lifted a hand to the device on his temple. The Editor inclined his head with a sharp calm, "Together"- _

_ -his smile was bittersweet, blood dripping down his nose, sign of overexertion, "Take care of Jade when you find her", the clairvoyant told him, "She needs you. You need her too", a single last burst of love and trust and fondness and  _ knowing _ , and then he was  _ gone, _ forever and ever, never to be seen again-  _

_ -Cold, burning, hot, deathdestruction-children dying-NoPleaseNO! _

_ -No More…!-  _

The Doctor pulled the girl against his chest as he felt like his whole world was shaken. After a second he flopped on his back, staring at the ceiling in disbelief and awe, arms holding her locked against his racing hearts. She looked  _ so much _ like- He couldn't believe he hadn't seen it before. Her chin, her nose, the shape of her eyes,  _ that trust _ , the way her brow crinkled,  _ her very DNA and brain structure _ . Of course they would be related! A desperate laugh escaped him as he realized he definitely wouldn't be able to let her go now. Sneaky, sneaky Editor. Uttering that prophecy right before he… He couldn't have forgotten even if he'd  _ wanted _ to! 

And it came at just the right time. Like always. He'd been drifting again. Drifting was bad. Editor had to have known she would remind him of  _ him _ and pushed that just a bit further by whacking him over the head with a sudden dose of reality. Telling him to  _ stop wallowing _ and  _ work _ through the emotions. Like the clairvoyant had always done with him. And he gave him company to do it since it was that much harder alone. Company  _ related to him.  _

"You, Jade, are a miracle. Don't ever forget it", he told the little girl he'd  _ finally _ found like his partner had foretold he would. Even if he hadn't known she'd be a little girl. 

A small hand grabbed his suit and he looked down to see a wide smile so bright and happy to see  _ him _ that he thought he'd burst. It looked so much like  _ his _ smiles. 

"So I'm  _ really _ home now? I don't have to leave?", she asked with building excitement and just the smallest hint of worry. 

He felt a smile coming, his first  _ genuine _ smile this excruciating month, and let it bloom into a full grin, "Yeah. Home. I like that word! We're home, in the TARDIS, and I-" 

Something just occurred to him. It was year 1793 on Earth. There should be an almost supernova right nearby. Well, almost across the galaxy, but close enough. Just across the small and closing crack between realities. He stared at Jade with a sort of incredulous air. How come he hadn't remembered  _ that _ before? He'd've tried the on the other side of the  _ universe _ in the future and that wouldn't work for more than two minutes. This would have up to… Especially if he used… 

"Miracle. Definitely a miracle. You've just solved a very, very big problem for me, Jade, and I think you'd like to see it", he sat up and tapped her wide-ish nose gently with a finger. 

She smiled, bright and excited, "Yeah! A star!" 

The Doctor huffed a laugh that was somewhere between amused and wistful. Most  _ definitely _ related to his good ole partner. He owed it to him to do as he'd wished. He would've done it anyway now that he knew just  _ who _ the child was connected to. The Editor truly had been one of the best men he'd ever known, even in the midst of war. 

Little hands touched his cheeks and he focused back to Jade who was looking at him sternly, worried. 

"You were going far away again", she told him. 

The Doctor blinked before chuckling more genuinely. 

_ Need her too, huh. You might be right about that. Again.  _

He got up, feeling lighter than he had since he'd lost his companions, and felt Jade slide her hands around his neck to keep herself secure. 

"Well then. Let's say goodbye to some friends!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well. That's as far as I've gotten so far. You're probably confused about Addie's and the Editor's role in all this. It's confusing and complicated but it does have an explanation. Just a warning, I've managed to add OCs everywhere. All so the Doctor doesn't have such a lonely life. Because Jade really does have a lot of say in how the universe works. 
> 
> Hopefully I'll get another chapter done pretty soon to explain some of the mysteries introduced in the summary. Till then, just grit your teeth in frustration or try prying details in the comments. 
> 
> Also, I was vaguely inspired by Lumendea's Guardians of the Universe -series, as well as the idea of Self-Inserts popping around the Doctor's timeline. Emphasizing the vaguely part.


	2. Old Friends and New Friends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided to separate this into a chapter so the chapter lengths match better... It's this way on FFN so it's been confusing for me to update since here there's always one less chapter. Hence, changing it.

Jade was relieved, confused, lost, and happy. 

Her mind had almost shattered that day, the ship draining away at her very essence and her taking on much more than her small body ever should've. If she'd only had her own willpower to work with she'd have surely died. The other children wanted to live. So she could make do and gather that to use for their survival. 

This universe was amazing and awful, cruel and kind. She'd seen it in flashes when she'd been hooked up and still saw some of those from time to time. That wasn't the only thing either. Her telepathy had grown from a minor affinity to a full blown ability, as had her telekinesis. Or psychokinesis. Whichever. But… 

She'd lost something. So she was confused. She knew that something was off within her, a thing she'd known, something she should know just… wasn't there. It was important. And she'd forgotten it. Or just couldn't  _ focus _ on it, getting snatches instead. 

At least she knew who Rina was. Her other self. Who looked at her so sadly sometimes. Like she was lost, and she was, because with everything stretched so thin she'd almost forgotten who she was. 

A slave girl from Earth, just about eight years old. That's who she was. But she was also… more. 

It was confusing. She felt so so  _ old _ sometimes, like the entire universe wasn't as old as her. If she tried to remember more, though, everything would… shut down. And she'd have to muddle through the feeling of being scattered, drifting,  _ gone _ but not really. Not truly. Always there as a whisper of consciousness but still an eight-year-old almost human girl. 

Though not forever. Whatever that meant. She was eight, she didn't know a lot of stuff. But she knew a lot of stuff she shouldn't. 

The Doctor called her a clairvoyant. She wasn't a powerful one, though. Didn't need to be. That would be awful. She just saw little things, like the star, the  _ supernova _ and how it would burn brighter than a candle and she wanted to  _ see _ . Like the blueprints for a star vessel, like how she saw the Doctor would come and save her, save them. Just snatches of likely things, said Rina. 

Like the vial of stardust under the shelf in the game room that she should get. 

"Jade!? Where are you?", the Doctor called from the console room. 

"Here!", she called back as she deftly snatched the clear bottle, "Just twelve seconds!" 

And it was exactly twelve seconds later she peeked into the console room to see the device he'd built to channel through the supernova. The Doctor looked at her with a melancholy she didn't really like seeing. She could understand it though. She missed the thing she lost. But she was also so relieved and happy to be here, even if it had only been two days. Must be her clairvoyance telling her how happy she'd be in the future. 

Rina insisted it wasn't quite that. Close enough anyway, so Jade shrugged it off and gave the Doctor the vial. 

He blinked as it was shoved under his nose, interrupting the wiring he'd just been doing. His gaze snapped to his new… well, ward, he guessed. Then he grinned and took it from her gently. 

"Brilliant! Oh, you are good", he praised, patting her head. 

Jade smiled shyly, pleased. Then she sat down and sighed, exhausted. Her body wouldn't be back to normal until next week. She'd really pushed it with the electric shocks. Or so the Doctor told her. He didn't want her out of his sight much right now so Jade tried to accommodate him. Right now he was glancing her way a little worriedly, like afraid she'd disappear. She wouldn't. She'd stay as long as it took for him to understand she wouldn't, not ever. Not  _ completely _ . 

That Rina could agree with. She was glad. She didn't like it when Rina was sad about something and didn't tell her so she didn't get sad too. 

Like about the thing she lost. 

The girl fingered her yellow dress. It felt smooth and soothing, so unlike anything she'd worn this… what? Time? Life? Ever? Rina felt sad again so she gave her a mental hug. The TARDIS hummed and it felt like a gentle touch. Jade had never really gotten those. Not often. And then only from her older sister, Ruby, but Ruby was gone now too. That… wasn't okay but it wasn't the worst either. 

She'd gone as she'd wanted to, fighting for freedom, for her family. She shook the thoughts away and focused on her fingers and the cloth. After a while she felt a slow gratitude fill her up. 

"Thank you", she whispered as she smoothed out the slightest of wrinkles. 

"Hm?"

"I've not worn anything so nice before", she continued with something like childish wonder. 

The Doctor's hands stilled and she could see the realization and the mounting anger before it was shoved back. She didn't feel scared of it for some reason. The Doctor angry was him being protective this time. He just wrapped a wiry arm around her small shoulders and squeezed lightly. Another gentle touch she savored eagerly. 

"You deserve so much better, Jade", there was a roughness in his voice that was gone by the next word, "Tell you what, we'll go get you some more after this. The TARDIS doesn't have many clothes in your size"

And he was back to working. The girl who had been a slave, but not in heart, stared at him with unadulterated adoration. She nudged a tool closer to his hand and he grabbed it instead of empty air he would've otherwise. Rina giggled along with the TARDIS and Jade felt slightly proud of her move. 

She moved to lean against the console and almost fell asleep to the sounds of the Doctor working. Before she could he stood up abruptly with a cheer that was almost genuine. There was sorrow in his hearts, even if he was happy to see his precious people one last time. Jade rubbed her eye to get the sleep out before standing up to see him turn it on. 

"Rose! Addie!", he called out, a message. He repeated a few times, telling them to come. 

It was only two hours later that they heard their voices. Two females of whom Jade only vaguely recognized one. 

"Doctor? Doctor, where are you!", it called out. 

The Doctor's shoulders relaxed slightly in relief and he pointed his sonic screwdriver at the machine. Two women, one golden blonde and light skinned, one with long brown hair and light brown skin. They were slightly translucent and the blonde looked about to cry with all the emotions bottled up inside. 

"You're here", she breathed out, "How?" 

The other one smiled with happy melancholy, and Jade liked that look better than the sad one, "You're doing something stupid, aren't you?" 

The Time Lord snorted a little, fond smile on his face, as he started explaining. A single gap, burning a dying star to say goodbye. It sounded almost poetic. Jade hugged herself nervously. Should she be here? Rina said she should, and something else felt like she had to. But it still felt like intruding on something private. 

"You look like a ghost", the blonde, Rose, said. 

"Hold on", he said and pointed his sonic again, the two images solidifying. 

Rose walked closer, reaching out, hoping, "Can I-?" 

"No touch", the Doctor said, hearts heavy. So close, yet so far, "I'm just an image" 

"Can't you come through?", she asked, eyes watering. 

A fist tapped her on the back of her head gently as Addie stepped closer too, "The universes would collapse, dummy. Right?", she glanced to the Doctor. 

He was smiling a little now, watching them interact, even as he confirmed what she said. They traded a few jokes, trying for some levity. Rose looked older while Addie was just the same. The one fourth human aged really slowly. It worried him. She'd be alone out there once Rose and they… Like him. She'd be like him. It made his hearts ache for her. 

He cleared his throat a bit, "Where did the gap come out anyway?" 

And that set off another conversation. About Bad Wolf Bay and how Addie found the Cycle Echo symbol in so many places, three rounded ovals overlapping into what looked like a misshapen circle. Someone had drawn it on a toilet seat on a train too and the three laughed slightly at the picture she'd taken of it. 

"How long have we got?", Rose finally asked after a bit of quiet. 

It was then the Doctor's lips quirked into a satisfied smirk, " _ Would _ have been three minutes max… But now it's closer to an hour", he winked, "I'm  _ very _ good!" 

Addie snickered as Rose groaned wetly. The light brown skinned woman smiled at him, mischievous, teasing. 

"Tell us something we don't already know" 

He quirked a brow and turned to Jade who blinked, caught off guard. The man beckoned her to come over. She hesitated for a second before complying and grabbing his hand. Rose's startled gaze and Addie's knowing one landed on her and she shrunk in on herself slightly. Tentatively, she waved. 

Addie beamed and waved back while Rose looked between her and the Doctor with an incredulous raised eyebrow. 

"So. I've just found Jade!", he told them, "Remember the prophecy?" 

"How could I, what with  _ Jabe _ and all?", Addie retorted happily, honey brown eyes regarding Jade warmly. 

She didn't know why but she felt like she should know her. But not yet. Or something vague like that. Rina was feeling a surprised relief. And a little bit of alarm. And warmness. So much empathy and warmth. 

"Oh, shut up", the Doctor grumbled and Rose laughed, bittersweet. 

The blonde then crouched down to her eye level and looked her up and down, "Oh, you're so young… How will you manage with her?", she directed at the Doctor. 

Jade glanced up as well once she felt a pang of fear from him. Fear of losing anyone else. She tightened her grip on his hand. Then the little girl turned a smile on Rose. 

"I can take care of me.  _ And _ the Doctor too if he needs it", she promised, knowing she  _ could _ keep it. 

Addie crouched down too, "I know. But let him take care of you too, okay? You're not by yourself anymore" 

Jade blinked, wondering. It was an alien concept. She'd been taking care of others  _ and _ herself for as long as she could remember. She looked up at the Doctor who was in turn staring at her with wistful sadness and a need to… do something. She studied his expression and nodded to the two women. 

"We'll take care of each other while you're gone, then", she decided. 

"Yeah. Yeah…", the Doctor trailed off before turning to her sharply, "Wait,  _ while _ you're gone?" 

Rose stood slowly, "Can- Can I-  _ we- _ ever see you again? After this?" 

Jade opened her mouth but was stopped by a look from Addie. She obeyed. Her eyes were older than hers. She'd know better. She  _ knew.  _ Like her. How? What followed her silence was a tragic love confession. Jade wanted to say something but Rina warned her. Not yet. The Doctor seemed to weigh his words as he started to voice his own feelings. Coming to terms with them. And how they would never be together. It needed to happen. 

Addie and Jade stood next to each other and watched with sympathy. 

"Once", Jade said eventually, "You'll meet once sometime in the future", and somehow she knew this wasn't her clairvoyance, not completely, "It's not how you think, but you'll both be happy in the end" 

And that was all she could really say about the matter. The Doctor and Rose both were staring at her in a kind of astonishment. The blond looked to the Doctor as if to ask if her word could be trusted. His eyes reflected that they should, because she really could see snatches of possible futures. So it  _ was _ possible. He started to grin slowly, Rose following along, until they laughed with relief. 

Then their goodbye wasn't so much a goodbye as a touching stone, telling what was happening where, lamenting the lack of hugs or… kisses, and just preparing for a long long while of not seeing each other. For five minutes the Doctor and Rose worried over Addie but all the woman said on the matter was that she'd find her place soon enough. That she didn't really know what would happen but knew she'd be okay at the end of it. That she'd most likely get back to the Doctor if they'd bet on something. Jade couldn't say anything on the matter, not knowing the answer. 

But the sureness in Addie's voice was reassuring to everyone. 

There were ten minutes left when Rose and Addie called the Tylers and Mickey over. Jade didn't  _ really _ know them but they all had something nice and not so nice to say to the Doctor, Jackie especially going on a rant on caring for a child once she saw her. She was a bit embarrassed by that, also confused, and leaned against the Doctor's leg. His hand was on her shoulder, keeping her grounded in the presence of so many other people. 

Then there was just a minute left and Addie made the Doctor a promise to whack him if he felt guilty over them getting thrown to the parallel universe. Because it wasn't his fault and everyone on every side agreed, except maybe him. Rose promised not to forget him and said he should maybe get someone else on board too to help look after Jade. Jackie agreed. Pete thanked him and promised to protect his family to the best of his ability. Mickey concurred. 

Addie then turned to the child again and smiled, "Your life will be miraculous, Jade. Just make sure to let others help  _ you  _ once in a while. Same for you, Doctor. See ya!" 

And then they were all gone. Jade stared ahead for a moment, pondering why Addie seemed to  _ know _ her, before turning to the Doctor. He seemed lighter somehow. Better. Ready to move on slightly. Even if the whole thing was somewhat bittersweet. They stayed like that for a moment. Then he released her shoulder to turn to the console, watching her with a small smile. 

"Well, I promised you new things, didn't I?" 

That was how Jade got to go on her first ever shopping trip. She came home with a new favourite yellow green hoodie, sweatpants, leggings, a turquoise tunica, shirts, and three pairs of shoes. And the TARDIS made her a room. She cried at that. And fell asleep almost immediately after the slight physical exertion. 

xXXx

She had a nightmare the first night. The TARDIS tried to comfort her and it helped a little, as well as Rina's assurances, but she still couldn't sleep. So she sneaked out and went to the console room where the Doctor was fiddling with some tech. She hid into a corner, bundled in the softest blanket she'd ever had, and fell asleep in her white night dress to the sounds of his tinkering. 

The Doctor found her an hour later and arranged her into a more comfortable position, getting a mattress and setting her there. He smiled a little at her before going back to work. 

xXXx

Jade and the Doctor had eaten some breakfast he had cooked with skills he learned in France. She'd babbled on and off about anything and he listened attentively. It had taken a bit for her to be comfortable enough to do that but the result was worth it. She felt  _ accepted _ . 

Now they were back in the console room and she was sitting on her mattress, still in sleep clothes, drawing something while the Doctor checked controls and stuff. Then she felt something, the TARDIS humming with greeting and slight discomfort, and looked up to see a woman. She gaped silently. The Doctor flipped a switch. Then noticed the woman in a white dress, just standing there. 

"What?", he muttered. 

She turned, soon echoing his statement. A redhead. Jade shifted so she was hiding behind the console, not sure what to make of this new development. 

"Who are you?", the redhead exclaimed. 

"But-", confusion absolutely radiated off him. 

"Where am I?" 

"What?" 

"What the hell is this place!?", panic was building and Jade peered out from her hiding place, just a little. She was slightly concerned. 

" _ What? _ ", the Doctor's disbelieving confusion boiled over into intense curiosity. 

Jade stood slowly as the woman and the Doctor started a word fight. She didn't want to be seen. Not yet. Not like this. She needed a jacket of some sort. Her eyes fell on a purple and violet shirt with buttons and long sleeves. It must've been Rose's or Addie's. Nodding to herself, she quickly put it on, the sleeves swallowing her hands whole, before looking down at her bare feet. The grating didn't hurt her, she had thick skin, but running on it might. She'd need shoes. But there probably wasn't anything here. Was there? 

The TARDIS hummed a little and beckoned her to one side. She followed, interested, and trying to keep out of the wedding dress woman's eyesight. She found dark blue crocs things, too big to fit but not so big as to slip off her feet before she could take a step. Her feet were unusually large for someone her size. Not that much but a bit. 

She pat the pillar in thanks before turning her attention to the arguing pair, except the woman had noticed her and was now walking towards her. The girl squeaked in alarm, slipping behind the pillar and running around the console to get back to the Doctor's side. She latched on and eyed the dumbfounded redhead warily. 

"You kidnap little kids too!? Don't think I don't see what she's wearing! I'm not the first, am I?", she accused. 

Jade suddenly felt braver as she frowned, hugging his arm tighter, "He doesn't  _ kidnap _ people", not anymore, at least, "He  _ saved _ me!" 

There was a hand on her head and she suddenly realized how hard she was breathing and how tired she felt. It hadn't been such a good idea to run so fast. The Doctor was looking down at her in concern. She was too exhausted to do much more than lean against him and close her eyes. He touched her cheek and she could feel him nudge at her mind gently, washing peace and safety over her. She almost cried with how nice it felt after so long with no one to care. 

"...Is she okay?", the woman asked but it was muffled to her ears. 

"Hm? Exhausted but fine. Well, not  _ completely _ fine, she's still achy and her head hurts", the Doctor muttered and crouched to pick her up. 

She felt strange to be picked up so gently, so carefully, but it was  _ nice _ and she told him that with feelings. He didn't seem to quite know what to do with that, whether to feel glad or angry at the people who'd had her before this. He settled for squeezing her in comfort. She couldn't tell if it was for him or for her. She just leaned her head on his shoulder and drifted to sleep. Everything else could wait. 

"...'s th' Christmas treez… 'gain", she mumbled right before her consciousness faded. 

(The Doctor watched her, fondly amused, as he quickly laid her to her mattress and threw the covers on her. She could sleep a little while longer. Meanwhile, the woman had seen an exit and almost ran straight out into a supernova. Apparently her name was Donna and she wanted to get back to her wedding. Good for her. He didn't need her here anyway… He pointedly ignored her friends' advice in getting someone else to help with a child) 

xXXx

When Jade woke up the TARDIS was in flight and the Doctor had the doors open. She gasped and immediately hurried to the console, mind working furiously as she pressed a button, pulled a lever, and grabbed a fire extinguisher in preparation. A silver tube she had  _ no _ idea how she  _ knew _ was a fire extinguisher. The flight had stabilized somewhat more. 

"Hurry up, Donna!", she screamed shrilly, having no clue as to how she knew the redhead's name, "You can do it!" 

After a few more long seconds all of them were safely inside the TARDIS, though the TARDIS had some small fires due to the strain of a supernova, an intruder, and the flying. Flying being the most taxing. She coughed a little as she turned the extinguisher on and started snuffing fire out. She yelped when someone picked her up and plucked the tube from her hand, quickly spraying over things and putting her to sit on the side. 

"Stay here, don't inhale the smoke", the Doctor told her and she realized with a jolt that yes,  _ he _ could do it too. She didn't have to. 

For once, she  _ didn't have to _ . It was confusing, relieving, and she smiled so widely her cheeks ached. With just a few presses of buttons and some creative steering the Doctor had the TARDIS back to land, the fires out, and the girls outside until the smoke cleared. He then crouched next to her and looked her over, checking for burns or smoke inhalation. 

"How's your head?", he asked as the sonic let out a whirr. 

She thought for a moment, not sure how to answer, "It… pulses? But it's been worse!", she added quickly, not wanting to be a burden. 

He quirked a quick smile and raised a hand to her temple. The pulsing faded back until the hurt was easily ignored. She looked at him worriedly, almost subconsciously pushing out her concerns. He seemed to sigh internally as he pulled her to him, mentally detailing exactly why she wasn't a burden at all while steering them to Donna's side. She listened and felt herself blush further with each compliment. 

The Doctor let her go to sit next to Donna, putting his jacket over her shoulders. Jade hesitated, then circled around to the woman's other side and sat there. She swung her legs, letting the adults' conversation wash over her. She kept getting the shortest and most confusing flashes. Like, the tree. And a party. 

"Hey. Kid", Donna caught her attention, "I'm sorry if I scared you. I was kinda freaked out" 

Jade looked her in the eyes and smiled just a little, "Me too. You appeared out of thin air" 

"Yeah?", she huffed, "Are you an alien too?" 

She shrugged. The redhead's eyebrows rose and she turned to the Doctor for answers. He tugged at his ear and shook his head. 

"Not really, but she's odd", he switched topics, "How did you even get on board the TARDIS?" 

And he went off to a rant while scanning her. Each time he made a statement of Donna's unimportance Jade mouthed 'wrong' while staring off into the distance. 

"Have your friends ever punched you in the face?", Donna had had enough of constant rudeness and ridicule. 

It made the Doctor wince, "Occasionally. Though usually it's the shoulder. Or the head. Was. They're gone now" 

"Not forever", Jade said idly, still staring off. 

Donna looked between them like they were the most intriguing beings she'd ever met. Which they might as well be. The Doctor drew her in a conversation on what her life was like, trying to figure her out. She listened in and frowned at certain parts of Donna's story, certain she wasn't telling the entire truth but not sure how. 

"But- But  _ you're _ the one who nagged  _ him _ ", she pointed out at one point, once she started talking about her marriage. 

"Wha-? How did you-?", Donna gaped. 

The Doctor blinked at her before laughing, "Oh, Donna. She knows, she's a clairvoyant" 

"What, like, she can see the future? That's not possible", no one said anything, "...Is it?" 

There was a long pause as Jade shifted, slumping in on herself. She kicked her foot out in the open air, not at all scared of the height they were at. 

"...There's a party", she mumbled, "And trees aren't nice" 

Donna looked at her sceptically, "...Sure. It's Christmas, you know, parties and trees everywhere. And… I doubt we'll have the reception now", she sighed, "Everyone's going to be so heartbroken" 

xXXx

There  _ was _ a party, the reception, and the Christmas trees weren't nice. Neither were the Santas but she hadn't really known about  _ them _ beforehand. It might've slipped her mind or she just hadn't had visions. Flashes. Whichever. 

She'd changed into her new clothes, a cyan jacket over the yellow dress and thick blue leggings. She still wasn't quite used to them and would shift around to feel them against her skin. The strangest feel came from her new boots that were a bright green with yellow shoelaces. She'd curl her toes and feel socks and  _ thickness  _ where there had always been ground. 

It was amazing. It was disconcerting. Like how she knew the trees were a bad thing and somehow got everyone to run out of the reception building via fire alarm even as the Doctor got the Santas with his sonic and the sound system. She  _ may _ have borrowed a multipurpose knife from a random man's pocket to trick the system. 

" _ Jade! _ ", the Doctor called out to her and she quickly ran to him. 

He'd told her to stay within shouting distance before he'd encouraged her to go talk to some other kids at the party. It had been… strange. But okay. They thought her odd but nice enough and she'd gotten them to go outside before the attack… Along with everyone else. 

Almost everyone else, she corrected with a constricted throat as she saw people huddled against tables while screaming and avoiding the explosive decorations. 

She reached out a hand and didn't even hesitate, even as her headache spiked. Two bombs stopped in mid-air before she threw them straight at the tree with her mind, hand movement helping her focus. They exploded and sent the tree out of commission but not the bombs. The Doctor grabbed her up and walked briskly to the destroyed robots while muttering a litany of 'no's and the stupidity of recklessness, mind reaching to caress her frayed one. She winced as she realized she'd risked permanent damage. 

He set her down next to him, a lightning fast telepathic conversation happening between them, before he ascertained she'd be fine for the moment and turned to the machinery. She slipped into meditation, trying to soothe the hurt that had started up again. Like an aggravated wound. She would have to be more careful from now on. 

_ 'I shouldn't have brought you. I'm sorry. You're still recovering' _

_ 'I'm fine, Doctor' _ , she told him,  _ 'I just did something stupid. And… And you know I'd've followed you anyway'  _

The Doctor did the mental equivalent of a frustrated sigh and was still feeling guilt. She frowned at it and told it to shove off and leave her friend alone. She was glad when it abated a little to give room for amusement, though the wave of melancholy wasn't that nice. 

At the same time he had been explaining things to Donna who had stayed inside and dove for cover with her kinda husband. He stood up and was about to run through the door before turning to her with a worried, conflicted frown. 

"Jade, go to the TARDIS, I'll fix this mess", he said in the end, "You know how to get there, don't you?" 

She frowned up at him, feeling a mix of being okay with that and not wanting to leave him at all. Separation anxiety. Slowly she nodded and stood up to start moving. 

"Uh, Donna, would you go with-" 

Jade whirled around, " _ NO! _ " 

Everyone stared at her startled and panicked form and she hunched her shoulders, expecting a beating for speaking out of turn. Rina set her thoughts straight and she took a breath to explain. 

"You need her with you", she told the Doctor, "She  _ needs _ to know" 

Donna looked between them, "What? Know what? Martian man?" 

She looked at her solemnly, "I dunno  _ what  _ but you find out something important", and then she turned and started walking towards home, leaving the Doctor to explain for the second time that she just  _ knew _ stuff. 

Jade was nervous. She was slightly scared. Also exhilarated and  _ happy _ to be right here right now. There would be twists and turns she didn't know about but she did know things would turn out alright. Not perfect, but alright. 

Though she might be able to make it a little more alright. 

xXXx

The Earth's birth was terrifying, awe inspiring, and slightly nauseating to watch. Not only because of all the spinning asteroids but also the flashes of a red skinned giant spider that wanted to give the whole Earth for her children to eat. Jade's blood was rushing, pumping in her ears, even as she knew she had prepared for the future. With Rina's help, as well as her knowledge's. 

For some reason she knew a lot about technology, a combination of being a computer for a little while and the something she had lost during that stunt. Anyway, she'd built something that would help. With…  _ something _ . She glanced at Donna from the corner of her eye. The woman looked like the ground had been pulled from under her. She didn't blame her. 

Donna's almost husband, someone she had  _ trusted _ , had turned into a traitor. As soon as it was explained to her Jade  _ knew _ what had happened. And what would happen next. Or, had a vague idea of it at least. 

The Doctor and Donna rushed off as soon as the TARDIS landed back in Donna's time, a few hundred meters away with the help of the extrapolator. She tried to be unobtrusive, knowing the Doctor would order her to stay if he knew her plans. And so, she waited for exactly one second, slung the modified vacuum cleaner on her back, and sneaked out of the TARDIS. 

Then she ran and hid from robots while searching for the right place, finding it a moment later and hiding in a corner. She pointed the vacuum nozzle at the liquified huon particles before activating it. The noise was minimal with her tinkering and fully formed particles drifted over to the hose faster and faster. She knew she had some time to do this but no idea how much. She was still breathing hard from all the running and knew she'd probably pass out again after this. 

The flow of the particles ended soon enough and she quickly turned her device off and rushed off to the next room where she  _ knew _ the Racnoss was at, along with Donna and Lance. She felt a pang once she realized she couldn't save Lance. But… she could save him from getting eaten. 

Jade tried breathing slowly and quietly, hiding near the exit and ready to bolt any second things turned South. 

The Racnoss' taunting made her skin crawl and she worried about Donna. She knew the Doctor would save her though. And then she'd save him. Jade's job was to make the whole ordeal a little less painful. A little less full of guilt. She waited for the right moment, the moment the Racnoss activated the particles, and activated her vacuum. Particles pulled particles. Her machine had some particles trapped in it and she knew the fear in both Lance and Donna would activate them. Sure enough they immediately shot towards her. 

She started running, not wasting her breath on talking and concentrated on getting away from the sudden shots and running robots. 

It was a terrifying two minutes. She got to the TARDIS and pleaded for her mentally to open the doors. Jade didn't have time to bother with a key. The time machine did so and she could have melted with relief but pushed her aching body to run faster. She got in just in the nick of time and the doors slammed shut behind her. Jade got her body to move two more steps before she just… shut down. She shakily dropped to her knees and pulled the vacuum off her back, gasping for breath. 

Her eyesight was blurry and she was shaky from aftershocks of adrenaline. Black was creeping into her vision. But she smiled a little as she curled an arm around the vacuum and succumbed to unconsciousness. 

She'd done it. 

Jade wasn't awake to feel or see the huon energy seep through the container, into her skin and inside the TARDIS, filling gaps in her mutated DNA and tethering her more strongly to the time ship and time itself. 

xXXx

The Doctor and Donna ran to the TARDIS as the underground secret base got flooded. The Racnoss had screeched and raged before she teleported herself up to her own ship, which then got blown up after opening fire on Earth. For some reason her children hadn't awakened and the Doctor counted himself lucky he hadn't committed another genocide. However harmful the racnoss children would be to planet Earth they were still just that. Children. 

He got to the TARDIS, ignoring Donna's calls as he opened the doors and got in, only to stop in his tracks as he saw Jade crumpled on the ground, hand hugging a… was that a vacuum cleaner? 

Donna ran into his back and the doors slammed shut behind her. It prompted him to quickly crouch by the little girl and assess any possible damage. The sonic picked up a fair amount of huon energy in the strange device and both his eyebrows rose as his brain promptly put the pieces together. Jade had built a huon energy filter into a vacuum cleaner and had used it to keep the racnoss children from awakening, stealing the particles before they could be sent down to the centre of the Earth. 

It was- It was reckless, that's what it was, and he should watch out for that but… it was also brilliant, so impossible it could count as a miracle, and brave. So so brave for an eight-year-old. 

He shook his head at his little charge, not able to suppress a grin, "Spectacular, Jade. Truly spectacular" 

Another wave of water slammed into the TARDIS doors and the Doctor straightened, hearing Donna's alarmed shout. He quickly asked her to take Jade to someplace more comfortable as he got them out of there. After one last glance at the girl who Donna gently picked up he ran to the console and prepared to fly her - but not literally this time. 

Still. This showed him what Addie had meant with Jade being used to doing things on her own. He should remedy that in the future, or live with a risk of hearts attacks every other day.

…He  _ really _ should find a way to remedy that. Somehow, someway. Hearts attacks were not fun at all. 

_ Oh well _ , he pulled levers and moved them all towards safety,  _ We'll learn as we go.  _


	3. Settling In and Meeting the Future

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Doctor and Jade get to know each other while new things are discovered. Jade gets a friend with an added package of two responsible adults. She also might've met the future. Not that the Doctor knows that.

Donna had declined to travel with him ( _ he wasn't disappointed, he  _ was not  _ disappointed! _ ) and echoed Addie's suggestion of getting someone to babysit with him. Not that Jade needed that much babysitting, except to remind her when she was being a little  _ too _ independent for a kid. Seriously. It was like having a mini-adult on board with the occasional cute disasters only children could get themselves into. Like the incident with cooking pancakes. Or the bookshelf being too high. And the walking at walls when too tired. And the way she panicked a little when her hair started growing white instead of the black she had been used to, her mutation changing her. 

It made the Doctor theorize she'd gotten echoes of the Editor's memories while she was acting as the ship's security system and computer. The action  _ had  _ mutated her genetic structure which had  _ somehow _ filled with a tiny piece of the time vortex when he wasn't looking. He was even more astonished to find it wasn't hurting her at all and even  _ sped up _ her recovery. It was almost exactly like the Editor except he had much more of it, which meant there would be a potential build up to look out for in the future. 

She wasn't that tired anymore, which was a plus and told him she was recovering. From malnourishment and nightmares both. He checked her mind daily to see it was rapidly healing. Though… there would be some scars. And her abilities were a bit harder to control now that they'd bloomed so abruptly. 

He did his best to help. Some of the attempts were more successful than others. Jade appreciated all of it. 

Other times he was using Jade's presence as a way to distract himself from the loss of Rose and Addie. He had a feeling the little girl knew it and accommodated him by being slightly more exuberant and childish. It… honestly made him feel a bit guilty and like a horrible person to depend on.  _ He _ was supposed to take care of  _ her _ . Mostly it made him realize how scarily perceptive his little charge was. 

The Doctor monitored Jade's health for a week and a half before deeming her fully recovered. By then both of them were antsy and needed  _ something _ else to do than loitering around in the TARDIS. And he was eager to show Jade the stars. She was completely fine with it, too excited to even try eating breakfast properly. Not that the Doctor had much patience for domestics and sometimes outright forgot there was such a thing as breakfast. That made meal times random but neither of them really minded. 

Either way, today was the time for Jade's first trip. She was bouncing excitedly around the console and babbling away. 

"Can we really go  _ anywhere? _ I mean, there must be  _ some _ times that are hard if not impossible to get to, like after time ends or something. Ooh, this is so  _ amazing! _ Are we going to see architecture? Mountains and caves? Or another star? A  _ library? _ ", she was practically jumping up and down now, holding on to the edge of the console. 

The Doctor was watching her giddiness with  _ way _ too much smug amusement but she couldn't bring herself to care. This was going to be so much fun! 

"Yes, yes. We could go see  _ any _ of those things. But. How did you even come up with the idea of  _ time _ ending?", he asked with a quirked brow. 

Jade frowned up at him, "Well,  _ everything's _ got to end at some point" 

He felt the weight behind that statement and shivered at the  _ experience _ that rang behind it. All psychics seemed to get it at some point in their lives but he hadn't known they could be so  _ young _ when they  _ knew _ . It was a little sad but also a little relieving to see how childish naivety could still be found in someone so well versed in the workings of the world. 

"True. It just gives us more incentive to enjoy it while we can!", he grinned and started pulling levers, making Jade laugh in delight. 

And so they started their journeys through time and space, going wherever the fancy hit. 

(Surprisingly, they only found trouble  _ sometimes _ and not really  _ all _ the time. Jade had thought it'd happen more but was grateful it didn't. It got tiring at times. Trouble was the bits in between and that was just perfect) 

xXXx

They'd known each other for around three months and had visited lots of new places when Jade first met her. She'd been looking through a marketplace for something to eat, making sure to remain at a distance she could still find the Doctor's presence, when a head of curly light brown hair caught her eye. She blinked, sure she should know this person but not sure  _ how _ . It felt like she'd felt when she knew Donna's name before she heard it. 

Unconsciously she followed the woman's movements until she turned around, as if sensing her stare. Her grey blue eyes widened as they took her in before she smiled fondly. Like she  _ knew _ Jade. 

"Oh, you're so  _ young _ ", the woman muttered as she crouched to her eye level with a smile, "Hi, Gem" 

Jade stared. She didn't know what to do. The woman started to look mildly concerned. 

"Jade? Have you not seen this me before? You  _ always _ know this me" 

The little girl furrowed her brows as she shook her head slowly. 

There was a flash of disappointment in the woman's eyes but it was soon smoothed over. Her hand reached out to touch Jade's curly mop of white hair that just brushed her ears. The girl was tempted to flinch back but she  _ knew _ this woman meant no harm. So she stayed still and let her examine it. 

"How old are you now?", the woman whispered and Jade finally understood she'd meet her in the future. 

"Eight years, five months, and nine days", she reported, remembering when she asked the Doctor for her age two weeks ago. He told her the scan results but had no idea of her actual birth date. 

There was a sparkle of faint amazement in the woman's eyes and she smiled lightly, "This is the first time we met, isn't it? And yet you're still so  _ trusting _ " 

Jade tentatively smiled back, "Am I? I just…  _ feel _ like I should know you…", she tilted her head and thought, staring into the not-stranger's eyes for a long moment before whispering, "...River" 

The woman stared in slight shock before letting out a relieved laugh. Her hand took Jade's and the look in her eyes was so  _ fond _ and accepting the little girl's breath caught. 

"Figures you'd know me even when you don't, Lil' Gem", River smiled, "You're such an oddball" 

A moment of silence as they took each other in. Then Jade's stomach gurgled and she blushed. The woman looked down at her slightly skinny frame and let out a tsk. 

"Does he not feed you properly? Irresponsible old man", she grumbled as she stood. 

"I was getting food!", Jade protested on the Doctor's behalf. It came out as an embarrassed squeak. 

River winked down at her, "Well,  _ I'm _ getting you food now" 

And then she took her to get the most amazing 27th century sandwich and ice cream Jade had ever eaten and laughed at the little girl's delighted expression. The girl felt even more secure in her life now that she met another person who cared. They talked a little, River telling her she understood what older Jade meant when she said she had already paid for a bet years ago. She hadn't even suspected it was their  _ first _ meeting. The little girl committed that to memory and started explaining her experiences with time and space so far. River listened attentively, fondly. She then ruffled her hair and told her to get back to the Doctor before he went crazy trying to find her. 

"Oh, and I'm not supposed to meet him yet so zip your lips, Gem", the woman mimed said action with a wink before slipping back into the crowd. 

Jade stared after her for a minute longer before taking the rest of her unmelting ice cream and hurrying back to the Doctor. He turned, arms full of mechanical parts and smiled down at her eager approach. 

"Good ice cream?", he asked. 

Her expression radiated pure joy as she replied, " _ Very _ good" 

And if she was talking about something else too, well. That was her and her future's business. 

xXXx

A month after that trip and many others… Jade almost got murdered. Only the Doctor's quick thinking and her telekinesis saved her from the beast. Both their nerves were frazzled and the Doctor refused to let her out of his sight. He even snapped at her for running off, trying to get her to see she wasn't alone. Jade had been sorry and he'd been sorry after shouting and scaring her. 

There were  _ thoughts _ running through his head now and Jade didn't know what. He was hiding them and his emotions from her still mostly uncontrollable empathy. Telepathic messages were easier to interpret and send. She was afraid, though. 

So afraid he'd leave her now that she proved she couldn't obey simple orders. 

She listened to the TARDIS' song for comfort. She tried to make herself unobtrusive and useful in any little way she could think of. The Doctor noticed but wasn't sure what to do about it. 

"Jade", he said exactly a day later, "I- We need to talk" 

She looked up at him with dread but nodded slightly. 

"This life is… sometimes dangerous", he bit out as he sat next to her on her bed, "I know that. And I've been thinking. It's… hard for a child to grow up with danger hovering over them and-" 

" _ NO! _ ", Jade cut him off, "No, no, NO!" 

She stood and ran, ignoring his calls as she ran and ran deeper into the TARDIS. He wanted her to leave. She didn't want to leave. This was her  _ home _ . She didn't  _ have _ anywhere else. He wouldn't be able to make her leave if he didn't find her, her panicked mind reasoned. So she hid in the deepest stretches of the library she could find and tried to muffle her breathing and terrified sniffles. 

He was calling her. She put her hands to her ears and squeezed her eyes shut, slamming her mental shields into place so he couldn't trace her. She pleaded for the TARDIS to hide her better. 

It didn't work and her breaths were coming in short bursts as she heard footfalls running for her. 

She stood and tried the door next to her, panicking when it was locked. Her hiding place was a dead end and she chided herself for not knowing better. Rina's calls to  _ calm down _ were ignored in the favor of making a tall stack of books fall from a shelf to make a wall to shield her. It didn't work as the Doctor skidded around the corner and easily stepped over the pile, wincing as he saw a few dented pages in a Gorduan history book. Jade looked at his approach with wide frightened eyes so he stopped and crouched, worry radiating off of him. 

"Jade, stop. Breathe. What's wrong?", he whispered, prodding at her shields gently to try and understand. 

She shook her head, trembling all over, "No. No! I don't wanna  _ go _ . I- I  _ love  _ it here!", she repeated over and over. 

He winced as he realized what the start of his speech had sounded like and rushed to correct her. 

"Jade, I'm not-", he stopped when he saw a wild glow start up around her, hearts skipping a beat. 

The girl looked at the white and gold light emitting from  _ her _ with even more fright than before, looking up at him desperately. He reached for her hand, opening his mouth to tell her  _ something _ but she disappeared into thin air just as she tried to reach back. The Doctor stared at the empty spot in shock for a millisecond before whipping his sonic out and getting a residual reading. It was Donna and the huon particles all over again except this time it wasn't the ancient energy but something he had never heard of before. Had never  _ seen _ before. Even if it was oddly familiar. 

It looked like  _ time _ . It had  _ Jade's _ genetic signature. And it looked deliberate. 

His hearts pumped faster as he realized the girl might not have been reacting to him accidentally implying he would leave her but to something pulling her away. Something her clairvoyance warned her about. His eyes narrowed, anger and fear flaring as he stood and ran for the console room. Not on his watch. When he got his hands on whatever took Jade…! 

_ I'll get you back _ , he vowed in his mind even if his ward wouldn't hear,  _ I'll find you and get you back.  _

He didn't notice the TARDIS trying to soothe his panic. Or a screen in the console flashing white and gold, erasing a set of time space coordinates he definitely  _ hadn't _ put in. 

xXXx

Jade was panicked, alone, and out of the TARDIS. She didn't know how, she didn't know why, she  _ didn't understand _ what was going on. It was an alley empty of everyone except a few cardboard boxes and a big trash can. She was out of her safe place, out of her element, and there weren't any flashes to comfort her of the future. Her clairvoyance didn't  _ work _ if she  _ tried _ to get a vision. She got them when she got them. 

She stumbled against a wall, hands over her mouth as she tried to muffle her soft sobs and harsh breathing. There was no telling who could hear. Rina sent comfort and reassurance through her frazzled mind but it didn't help as much as it ought to. 

_I was_ happy _!_ _Why did I get torn away?_ , she thought, desperate and impossibly sad, _The Doctor won't want me anymore…_

Rina sighed in aggravation and shoved the thought aside in favor of the mental image of him reaching for her with alarm. Of him asking if she was alright. Of him saying she was  _ home _ . Jade finally got some of her bearings back as she realized it might not have been him saying he'd grown tired of her. That it might have been him trying to find a solution to a problem. 

It also might  _ not _ and she dared not dwell on that when her life may be in danger. 

Something had torn her away from the TARDIS. Like reverse of what happened to Donna. She couldn't feel the TARDIS nearby and she wasn't used to that. Wasn't used to not being able to find the Doctor's mind anywhere close by. It left her out of sorts as she looked around, trying to discern whether or not it was safe to get out of her safe spot against the brick wall. There weren't many sounds coming from the other end while the opposite end had some car passing by and somewhere a child was laughing. After a second of debate she decided to chance it and started walking towards the noisy end. 

The streets were mostly empty as she looked around curiously. Everything looked normal for a 21st century neighborhood. She could see some smartphones out on passers by. There was a street full of terraced houses but her side had beautiful detached homes. She glimpsed something green behind them and suspected it was a field or a forest. It would explain the lack of noise. At the end of the road was a park and behind that the scenery changed to a town with some higher story buildings. 

All in all, Jade had  _ no idea _ where she was except that the language was English and the place was Earth. 

She caught a teen staring at her white hair and hurried off towards the end of the road. No one was attacking her. No one except that teen had taken notice of her. She didn't catch wind of ill intent, not that her empathy was very reliable except in close quarters with telepaths. Her eyes caught on a tall slide in the park that was mostly empty. Rina gave her a playful shove in her mind but she hesitated. What if there really was someone looking for her? 

Her inner self rolled her eyes and shoved again, stating she should stay mostly in one place so the Doctor had it easier tracking her. He must've been out of his mind with worry. Jade felt a slight pang of guilt at that but followed Rina's instructions and walked towards the slide. 

A minute later she was grinning brightly as she ran to slide it down again and again. Then her eyes caught the swings and a small family there. One swing was empty. 

Jade ran to it before stopping short and staring at the family. The father was giving the girl, who looked a bit older than Jade, a good swing as the mother smiled from the side. She had red hair. Red hair and hazel eyes and Jade felt like she should  _ know _ her. Like with River but not. Like with Donna but more. 

The girl let out a happy squeal as she jumped from the swing and tumbled into a graceful somersault. 

"Melody! Give your Dad some warning!", the father called out as he caught the swing on his end, laughing. 

"Why? That wouldn't be any fun!", Melody grinned as she skipped back towards him before pausing and looking straight at Jade. 

The girl stared back with a tugging in her mind that told her she  _ should _ know this girl. A fleeting thought made her think she might have been transported here  _ because _ she should know this family. She looked Melody over, her brown hair and blue eyes she definitely got from her Dad and the shape of her face that was definitely from the red-haired woman. The woman whose hair was redder than Donna's. 

Melody smiled and walked over to her, "Hi! Do you wanna swing too?" 

It took her a moment to understand what it was she wanted before she nodded and smiled a shyly. The girl grabbed her hand and tugged her over to her parents who looked startled. They exchanged incredulous glances after taking Jade in before the man smiled gently and promised to give her a good swing too. 

"Nah. You look after Melody and I'll push her", the woman said easily and walked over to her with a kind and knowing smile, "What's your name?"

"I'm Jade", she replied, curious and trusting as she climbed into the swing. 

"It's nice to meet you, Jade", she said with something warm, fond, and slightly awkward in her tone, "I'm Amy. That's my husband Rory, and our daughter Melody. How high do you want to swing?" 

The girl tilted her head backwards to look into Amy's hazel eyes, "Um. Highest?" 

Melody whistled, "You're in for it now. Mom has a mean swing!" 

"Melody!", Amy scolded even as Rory looked to the side to avoid taking sides. 

The next few minutes Jade got to experience swinging on a swing for the first time. Melody egged her to jump and after a minute of pondering if it was a good idea she did. It was so much fun! She did it again and then they jumped at exactly the same time, making a pose at the end of it and laughing. Melody was twelve and had a mischievous streak in her, along with many fun ideas for games and other things. Her parents indulged it and seemed happy to have Jade playing with her. They occasionally joined the games too. 

Jade could almost forget how she got there. But then they'd played for about two hours and Rory told them it was about time for them to go. 

"Aww. Can't Jade come with us?", Melody whined with an arm linked with the younger girl's. 

The adults exchanged a look and Rory crouched to look Jade in the eye, "Where are your parents? You can come if you want to and it's fine with them", he sounded like he knew what her answer would be. 

The girl kicked at the playground gravel before looking up at him from under her eyelashes, "I dunno. We just… ended up separated. I don't-", she dropped her gaze to her shoes. 

She knew the family was waiting patiently for her reply but she didn't know what to say. Finally she just blurted her distressed feelings out. 

"I dunno if he wants me anymore", she sniffed and blinked tears away. 

Amy crouched next to her and put a gentle hand around her shoulders, "Oh, sweetheart, of course he wants you. If he's anything like the- like  _ us _ he'll go to the ends of the universe to find you again. And I bet he is like us"

The former slave girl leaned her head against the woman's comforting shoulder and tightened her grip on Melody's hand. The 12-year-old was petting her now chin length hair soothingly. Rory smiled, reassuring. 

Melody broke the silence, "Even if he doesn't want you,  _ we'll _ keep you" 

Jade looked at the older girl, judging her sincerity, and found it secure. She smiled a little. Her stomach gurgled. The family laughed a little. She blushed. Rory stood and invited her to eat dinner with them. He said that her Dad would most likely find her soon enough. Jade felt like he was right. Amy kept her hand in hers as they started walking towards the family's home, Melody talking a mile a minute about everything and only giving her a chance to say something back a time or two. 

She… wasn't sure what to feel about her situation anymore. At the very least she was relieved she had met such wonderful people after it felt like everything spun out of control. 

xXXx

_ 'Jade?' _ , the Doctor's telepathic message called from somewhere not  _ that  _ far away but not very close either. 

She perked up and abandoned her cards where Melody had been teaching her a more complicated version of Slapjack. 

_ 'I'm here!' _ , she told him before apprehension slammed into her and she looked down at her hands,  _ 'I… do you- I'm sorry' _

_ 'Nothing to be sorry for. Hold on, I'm coming to get you back' _ , he assured, this time much closer and Jade felt relieved. 

Then Rina pointed out the slightly dark undertone and urgency in his tone. She shot up as she realized he didn't know she was safe. Shame flushed her cheeks as she rushed to the door he would probably break down if she didn't stop him. 

_ 'Wait, I'm okay! I met this nice family who  _ know _ me, maybe, and they have a daughter who said she liked me and-' _ , her thoughts were too on top of each other to send out more than that and she cringed when she heard the sonic screwdriver open the lock. 

The Doctor slammed the door open and took her in, healthy and unhurt, before she was barreling into him with relief pouring out of her. His hearts were beating rapidly as he quickly dropped down to hug her, nose in her bushy white curls as he inhaled deeply. 

"It's okay. You're alright. I'm here", he murmured as she clung to him and she let her fears and worries unfurl from the tight ball she'd shoved into a faraway corner of her mind. 

Rory, Amy, and Melody gathered to the hallway and looked at the small family reunion with slight bafflement. The man of the household had a spatula in his hand and his mouth was agape. Amy closed it with the back of her hand as she stared with intense curiosity. The Doctor noticed them and took them in with a dark glint in his eyes, pointing his sonic at them and scanning. Jade sniffled a little before turning her face away from his shoulder and whispered into his ear. 

"Dad, they're human", and the sound stopped abruptly as she felt his undisguised shock at being called  _ Dad _ , "I appeared in an alley and then found a park and then Melody asked me to play. They're really nice. Can we stay for dinner?" 

He turned to her with wide eyes and took in her pleading expression. There was  _ no way _ he could say no to that. Awkwardly he cleared his throat and stood, taking Jade up with him and letting her cling to his neck. 

"Right. Hello! I'm the Doctor", he introduced himself, not even trying to apologize for breaking in, "My…  _ daughter _ would like to stay for dinner"

" _ You're _ the Doctor?", Rory muttered in disbelief before shaking his head, "Yeah. We did offer. Sure, you can stay" 

The Doctor raised an eyebrow, mildly surprised it was  _ that easy _ before Amy ushered him to close the door and thanking him for  _ not _ breaking it. Jade giggled into his shoulder and tightened her grip on him, not wanting to let go anytime soon. He asked mentally what had happened and got a new appreciation for the family he found himself having  _ dinner _ with. It was… odd. Very very odd. But not  _ bad _ . 

Melody and Jade drew him into a word game as Amy brought the food from the kitchen and the Doctor would have balked at all the domestics if he had been in his Ninth body. And if Addie hadn't gotten him used to it ages ago. Jade was still sitting on his lap and refused to move. He didn't mind. 

For some reason they didn't get a lot of intrusive questions from the family of three. It was odd. Usually humans were more curious. 

In fact the only questions left him questioning how perceptive they were to know he hadn't had Jade with him for that long. Some more intrusive enquiries he outright ignored or averted while answering some others. They took everything at face value. Except they looked incredulous at his avoidance of fish fingers and Amy looked even more baffled at his love of yogurt. 

After they'd eaten and told tales of their adventures, the Doctor's winning by a landslide, Jade was comfortable enough to play with Melody again. 

The children rushed off with a deck of cards and the adults and alien were left in the kitchen to talk. To be honest, the Doctor was a little antsy to get out and away but didn't want to take Jade away from being so…  _ her _ age. A kid. Not someone who needs to think about her actions thoroughly before making them. Someone so used to depending on herself she doesn't even think of asking for help. She hadn't even known it was an option in little things like getting a book from a high shelf or even slightly bigger things like learning an alien language. 

"So… Jade's been through a lot, hasn't she?", Amy started casually but with a hint of concern. 

He hummed neutrally, not sure where she was going with that. The woman seemed to know it as she continued without waiting for clarifications. 

"Melody too", and he turned to listen more closely, "It was hard for Rory and I both trying to understand what to do and say to help her. There were a few hiccups but… she's alright now, and happy. All a parent could ask for" 

"Why are you telling me this?", he asked, voice low so Jade didn't pick it up. 

She smiled knowingly, "I recognize that helpless look from the mirror. Do you want tips?" 

The Doctor wanted to be offended at helpless but this household seemed more and more interesting by the minute. Nothing seemed to surprise them and Melody was fast becoming a friend for Jade. She would  _ need _ a friend or two after what she'd been through and this… this might be exactly what he'd been looking for when he opened up that dreadful conversation with his… daughter, he supposed. 

He quirked a brow as Rory joined them from piling the dishes to the sink, "I'm listening" 

And so they engaged in parenting advice, some of which was not applicable on the TARDIS and some that actually meshed  _ perfectly _ . The Doctor quizzed them on age appropriate things and then discussed whether or not it was applicable to Jade's peculiar mindset and situation. They didn't bat an eye at Jade being psychic. There was a plan forming in his mind already as he listened to their own troubles with Melody's lack of friends. 

About an hour later he clapped his hands, gaining the attention of everyone and getting Jade to bounce up to him. 

"Okay! You're hired!", he grinned. 

Everyone stared as Rory dared to ask, " _ Hired? _ " 

"Yes! You see, I've been looking for a safe place to drop Jade off-", he felt slightly bad for her frightened gasp, "-when things get too dangerous for kids. No, Jade, you nearly got  _ murdered _ yesterday. And you seem like the perfect family for the job. Right, Melody?" 

The 12-year-old was grinning from ear to ear, "Right!" 

"Right. So. Jade, you like it here?", he asked his girl. 

She looked up at him, unsure, but nodded and tentatively asked a question, "...Only when it's  _ too _ dangerous?"

"Only when it's too dangerous or you want a break from big ole me  _ or _ you just want to visit. Yeah?", he ruffled her hair gently. 

There was slow acceptance and happiness in her eyes as she realized that would mean seeing Melody again. Often, too. And Amy and Rory were great. She smiled up at him gratefully. 

"Yeah!", she agreed. 

"Good", and he rose, tugging her with him, "I think it's time we head home" 

Amy grabbed his coat and tugged him to a stop, "Hold up, Mister. We're at work from Monday to Friday and Melody's at school. If it's before 3pm then drop her off at my office or Melody's class, I'll sign her up as part-time student", she slapped a note in his hand before pushing him towards the door, "Here's the addresses. We have no plans of moving for the next ten years.  _ Thanks _ for  _ asking _ before throwing this on us and I hope to see you soon. Bye!" 

Jade and Melody traded bemused but happy glances before Amy closed the door to their faces. They could hear Rory's exasperated 'Do I get a say in this?' before the Doctor burst out laughing at what hilarious humans they'd found. Amy was ranting about infuriating old men you can never say  _ no _ to behind the door, getting quieter as she got further into her house. Jade joined in and squeezed her  _ Dad's _ hand tighter, tugging him towards where she could feel the TARDIS beckoning for her. 

Despite the awful start, this had been a good day. 

xXXx

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay! Just a little bit more of this done. Yes, I've squashed canon with the Ponds. Feel free to speculate. No, the Doctor's life isn't as action packed here as canon would indicate. I won't make either of them go through that, not when Jade is still just 8 years old. This is a fix-it of sorts and self-indulgent like no tomorrow. I'll probably have to add those as tags.


	4. Second Christmas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jade's first year in the TARDIS, getting some therapy, and having a fun birthday with Melody.

For the next four months everything returned to a comfortable routine of bouncing around the universe, seeing sights, and helping people. Jade had gotten the Doctor to let her visit Melody on some days and on those he somehow ended up in more trouble. It's like the TARDIS was trying to avoid big trouble while Jade was onboard. She was grateful because it lifted a load of stress off of her young shoulders and the Doctor seemed more relaxed too. Things were comfortable and they were moving on. 

Other times it was touch and go with Jade's past as a slave. The issues were creeping at the back of her mind and she was  _ sure _ she could deal with them alone. 

Or, she  _ should have been _ able to do it herself. 

Rina pointed out she wasn't. Not really. She just shoved it back because she had no idea how to deal with the trauma. It flared in odd bursts at odd times. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. She felt…  _ cheated _ for that, sure she  _ had _ been managing somehow before… before the ship. Before she  _ lost _ something. A part of herself. 

In the end, after a week or two struggling, she gave in to Rina's nudging and asked the Doctor for help. That was… liberating, somehow. That she  _ had  _ someone she could ask, someone to  _ listen _ who wasn't Rina. Who could give her comfort physically too and not only mentally. 

The Doctor arranged therapy and started getting tips and tricks from Amy and Rory more often during their visits. They were helping handle Jade's occasional slips into flashbacks and her hidden concerns. Jade was overwhelmed and happy at the response she got to her plea for help. There was so much and so  _ many _ people who _ cared _ about her struggles and  _ wanted  _ to help. It was then and there she decided she would help them all in return someday, somehow. 

And with time being such a strange non-linear flux, she had a suspicion she'd already done so with some of them but it was in  _ her _ future and  _ their  _ past. 

Time travel was strange. 

It also seemed it was even stranger with  _ her _ because she found the TARDIS could trigger  _ something _ in her genetic structure that caused her to jump to another time and place. The Doctor had been baffled when he finally understood why she'd disappeared. He was also a little excited and a little scared because it looked like she could get teleported to another time and place by a random event like emotions getting too high. 

"Look, I can't stop it. Sometimes you'll just… jump. Not often, mind you, just when your body builds up too much, er, time vortex energy… thingy", he proceeded to explain how emotional outbursts sent the levels fluctuating and harder to predict and control. 

He also told her how his old friend had had something very similar in him and how he had been able to control the jumps to a slightly frightening extent. He'd thought it teleportation for all these years when it was time travel without a capsule  _ or _ a device. 

Jade… wasn't quite sure what to think of it or how to interpret it, "So I can be like the TARDIS, except no carrying people with me?" 

"Basically, yeah. I'll take you somewhere to practice when the energy builds up again", her kind of guardian promised, "I can pull you back to the TARDIS if you end up near her or track you down if you don't" 

She nodded and smiled happily. It was a weird ability but she couldn't find it in herself to be bothered. After all… She could visit her home away from home whenever  _ she _ wanted if she learned. The Ponds would be delighted! Melody especially. She could go to school more predictably too! Even if it was boring if she were there to actually learn. To be honest, Melody reminded her of a sister. The only reference she had had been Ruby and they were both slaves so… things weren't… great. 

Anyway! Her therapist, Ashley Mildew from the 27th century, had helped a lot with everything. The Doctor and her had hand picked her from lots of renowned therapists they'd gotten profiles on. Jade had felt she  _ needed _ her to be the one. That Ash was nice, experienced, and seemed to genuinely care for her wellbeing. Jade also got a feeling of familiarity, like with the Ponds but less so. Ash supported her decision to kind of grow up with Melody as her sister and encouraged her to bring it up with the 12-year-old. She hadn't yet. But she would. Probably. 

Rina was sighing again at her dawdling. She stuck a mental tongue out at her because asking someone to be your sibling was  _ hard _ . 

Especially since she wasn't growing. Or, she  _ was _ but it was  _ sloooow _ . 

"It's almost been a year and I'm  _ still _ this short!", she complained to the Doctor one day, trying to get a glass from a high shelf. 

That had been the start of researching  _ why _ she wasn't growing. It turned out her biology had changed even more than either had realized and her body clock had been set back so very freaking  _ much _ . The Doctor said he couldn't say for  _ sure _ but she'd live two  _ thousand _ years at the very  _ least _ . Jade's first reaction was numbness, shock, and slight disappointment she would live longer than any human ought to. Her next had been joy that she would get to be with  _ him _ for that much _ longer! _

There was also bone deep relief for reasons unknown to her but very known to Rina who refused to tell. Meanie. Though… she felt like she liked that she'd be in one place for that much longer than usual. 

She just didn't know what the usual  _ meant _ . 

Those four months were her getting better and growing attached to her new family. Then they were up and her time energy had built up. She tried to jump to next year next to the TARDIS so they could continue practicing. She ended up popping everywhere around the universe for a  _ week _ before finally getting it right to a second after she left. It was exhausting, scary, and they  _ really _ needed to get it under control because neither of them wanted that kind of a scare again. 

The Doctor offered to leave her hops to the TARDIS for now and she agreed. Ash was hired for another round to help her with her kind of new separation anxiety. It was a work in progress her Dad decided to contribute to with something to ease her into it and to have it be  _ fun _ . 

"You know, it's getting close to Christmas with the Ponds", the Doctor started two months after that on her ninth birthday, "Do you want to spend a whole weekend there?" 

He was tackled into a hug as she agreed, saying it was the best birthday present ever. 

xXXx

Jade giggled at Melody's shout of happiness as she told her best friend the news. The girl was pleading with her parents on the other end of the phone and she knew they had agreed immediately because Melody squealed it in her ear a second later. The family was lucky she was willing to call ahead because otherwise the Doctor would have barged in and dropped her off without a by your leave. 

As it was he was impatiently waiting in the console room for her to stop packing so she could go and he could have an adventure without worrying about her. She sometimes wished she was old enough to go with him safely. Well, more safely. 

She put her sketchbook in her backpack and deemed herself ready. It was just a little while back she still marveled she  _ had _ a backpack and clothes she could choose from. The girl shook those thoughts off and rushed to the console room to give her Dad the okay. He grinned at her and started flipping switches and buttons. Jade watched in interest and tried to understand what he was doing. She knew a few of the controls by now but most of them were a mystery still. 

It didn't take long for the TARDIS to materialize and she quickly peeked out the door to see wet but cold roads, Melody grinning at her from the window facing the backyard. She disappeared soon enough to open the door for her as Jade turned to the Doctor with a warm smile. 

"Thanks, Dad", she told him, but didn't say she'd like to have him with her for her first Christmas. He was looking forward to his adventure and she  _ did _ look forward to this. 

He looked pleased, like always when she called him Dad, and seemed to hesitate for a second. Her mental shields were much, much stronger than before and she'd learned not to project her feelings so he didn't feel her confusion and slight hope. Hope that maybe he'd come with her. Then his hesitation was gone and he dropped to her height to give her a hug and a kiss to her forehead. 

"Have fun. Don't get a cold and don't do anything I wouldn't do. Wait, scratch that, don't do things I would", he corrected quickly and she laughed lightly, ignoring her slight disappointment of not having him there. 

A door banged open and Melody called out, "Jade! C'mon!" 

The dark skinned girl traded knowing looks with the Doctor before rushing to the TARDIS door. She glanced behind her once and got an encouraging hand wave for her to  _ go _ . 

"You'll pick me up at ten on Monday, right?", she confirmed. 

"Yup! Don't be late" 

Jade nodded, not saying it was  _ him _ not showing up that she worried about. Because if he didn't show up she'd panic and might end up Skipping (which was what she'd taken to calling her sudden displacements in time and space), on purpose to look for him or unconsciously. The TARDIS wouldn't be there to make sure she didn't end up anywhere  _ too _ dangerous. 

Then she stepped out and brightened at seeing Melody rushing to her and tugging her towards the house as quickly as she could, babbling about all the things they could do. 

She talked and Jade answered in kind, building on her ideas and making them snowball, so focused on that and the warmth of her home away from home, family away from family, that she wasn't bothered by the soft wheezing sound of the TARDIS dematerializing. 

xXXx

It was a peaceful Saturday evening. No snow outside, no rain, no clouds. It was cold and damp but not really windy. Just… it didn't look like Christmas. And Christmas was tomorrow. They were trying to distract themselves from that when- 

" _ Melody! _ Where did all our towels go!?", Amy called from the bathroom and the girls froze, "And whatever did you take all the sheets and blankets for?" 

"Why? Do you need them?", Jade's friend tried to stall. 

"I just took a shower!", she shouted before concluding they were of no help, "Rory, can you fetch my towel from the girls?" 

They traded worried glances as Rory gave an okay and footsteps sounded towards Melody's room. Jade thought fast and grabbed one towel they didn't need and quickly opened the door just a crack, pushing it out. 

"Don't look!", she ordered, "This is a secret operation" 

The man took it with an amused expression, holding a hand up placatingly, "Alright, alright", he raised his voice, "I got  _ a _ towel!" 

There was a loud sigh and some grumbling but both adults left them alone. They relaxed and grinned, continuing their little project. Though 'little' might have been an understatement. It was almost ready. If they could only reach the- 

"Ooh, a fake snowy landscape", a voice interrupted, along with a cold wind from the previously closed window. 

Melody spun around with her tape roll up in the air, ready to throw. Jade turned to stare, blinking at the man with flyaway dark brown hair and green hazel eyes. He had a mischievous grin on his face and was wearing a bow tie. There was something  _ very _ familiar about him and Melody relaxed easily. 

" _ Uncle! _ Don't scare me like that", she scolded as she walked to the window to help him through, "And it's  _ cold _ so come in  _ quicker _ " 

"I  _ am _ quick. I'm the quickest quick you'll ever quicker", he shot back, rapid fire as he gracefully hopped over the sheet covered chair next to the window, "And speaking of quick, you got this done pretty fast" 

Jade was still staring, a strange warmth uncurling in her chest. It was strange and new and  _ familiar _ and she reached out to grasp the not-stranger's finger. She could feel him. His mind. And his eyes  _ knew _ her and she  _ knew _ them. He looked like he was happy to see her, if also staring like she wasn't quite what he expected. Remembered. 

"D- Dad?", she whispered anxiously. 

His smile widened as he dropped to her level and pet her now poofy-reaching-her-shoulder-blades hair she kept out of her eyes with a black headband, "Oh, Jade. My little miracle maker. It's been so long since you've been this young!" 

She looked him up and down, bewildered and sad for reasons she couldn't explain. Her eyes conveyed her question as she looked up at his new and unfamiliar, yet familiar face. 

"I've regenerated", he told her in explanation and her face twisted, "No, nonono. Don't do that. It's fine.  _ Really _ . I'm still me" 

"Of  _ course _ it's you! But… but you didn't want to go", she mumbled the last part, eyes slightly distant, "I'm sorry" 

He sighed and pulled her into a hug, "Jade. It was my time. I accept it now. You helped me accept it then too" 

She inhaled his new scent that was mixed with something familiar she couldn't place. She was regaining her emotional balance. Her arms had wound around his neck and she felt her whole body relax. She still hated being separated from him too long and she'd been here since Friday. Even if it was future him it was still  _ him _ . And she'd missed him. 

"...Are you staying for Christmas?", she mumbled into his tweed jacket. 

He chuckled, "I should've figured that's what you wanted then. That body was so stupid with these things", he pulled away with a grin, "But! Of course I'm staying for Christmas! It's your birthday!"

Jade smiled widely, "Yes!" 

Melody cleared her throat next to them, looking miffed. They adopted sheepish expressions at having ignored her. She struggled to stay stern but soon smirked lightly. 

"If you're gonna stay you're gonna help us", she declared. 

"Oh? I am?", he teased. 

Jade picked up the blue blanket full of paper snowflakes and pointed at the wall. Melody held up the tape roll. He huffed, trying not to look amused and failing as he took the items and smirked in turn. 

"Watch and learn, girls"

The two sat down on their makeshift pillowcase snow poffs and watched attentively as he got the thing up in a few seconds. Then the Doctor twirled the tape around a finger before letting it fly to an open box they'd picked it out from in the first place. He bowed and they clapped politely, giggling all the while. 

Someone yanked the door open, "Seriously, what did you do wi-", Amy cut herself off as she gaped at the room turned snowy scenery with a snowman made out of towels and sheets in the middle.

The girls glanced at each other before smiling sheepishly. 

"Er, surprise?", Melody tried. 

Amy glanced between them and noticed the Doctor. She raised an eyebrow, unashamed of her bathrobe and towel hair getup, and indicated the room with her eyes. He raised his hands to show he wasn't to blame. The woman looked at the girls again and started smiling, a snort escaping her. 

"I should've known. You two… It's so  _ beautiful… _ ", she traced her eyes over the fake snow and turned to leave, "I'll get dressed, then get Rory, and then we're taking a picture! No arguments!"

There were none as the children glowed at her compliment. The Doctor smiled fondly. Some things never changed. 

xXXx

It was always interesting to be around the Doctor. 

Turns out it was even more so with  _ this _ future Doctor. He was excitable, even more so than his past self, and was clearly much more used to being around children. Jade was very happy when he opted to join her and Melody instead of the Ponds who were packing up presents. Neither parent, it seemed, believed it obligatory to have Santa give the gifts. 

Actually, they seemed to think the Doctor was Santa enough for them to not need one. That was evidenced by his unorthodox ways of getting in the house and giving them presents. Granted, at the wrong time, but eh. Did it  _ really _ matter? 

"So. Here's the deal. You're going to need these, and I'm warning you _ not _ to lose them", he held out two presents, one light with green and yellow paper and another with blue and white, "It took a lot of work to get these done" 

Jade took the green and yellow, looking it over curiously before concluding it must be a book. It was what Melody came to too if her raised eyebrow was any indication. She looked at her Uncle suspiciously. 

"And  _ how _ does a  _ book _ make a lot of work for  _ you? _ ", she asked, emphasizing the strongest points. 

He wrinkled his nose at her, as if remembering all the trouble they caused, "Just open them already"

The dark skinned girl carefully unwrapped the paper after looking the present over thoroughly, carefully. This was her first time actually opening a real,  _ wrapped _ gift. The family around her watched with compassion and slight regret. She slowly lifted the white book out, looking to see there was a flap on it and a white pen tucked into the spine. She frowned in confusion, thinking it'd look prettier with snowflakes, and gasped as the cover morphed to look like the blanket in Melody's room. 

She looked up at the Doctor with shock, "It's… psychic paper!" 

"Why, yes it is!", he grinned, wagging his eyebrows, "That's your new journal. It's genetically and mentally locked on to  _ you _ so no one else can open it. Took  _ ages _ to get right, I tell you!" 

Melody whistled, impressed, as her book's cover wavered and morphed into whatever she was thinking of. She had slight trouble focusing on what she wanted it to show. The Doctor leaned over and started instructing her properly. He showed them a neat trick that would make the book stick to a certain form and not just pick on their new thoughts. He showed them the pen and how it did the same. Apparently they were almost infinite and would also turn to the page they wanted to find. Time Lord technology or some other such. 

"Dad, this is amazing, but… You said we'd need them? Why would we need something like this?", she asked, confused. 

He preened at her compliment before huffing at them, "Temporal messes. See, I've got one too", he picked a worn looking but small-ish leather book from his pocket and waved it about before pointing his pinky finger at her, "It's for these situations where we meet out of order" 

The girls blinked at him, then looked at each other, and understood. Both of them had already had some meetings out of order. 

"Just how much does this happen?", Melody asked apprehensively. 

All the adults groaned as Amy and Rory pulled out their own journals in answer. They gaped. 

"Way. Too. Much!", the redhead complained, "I'm afraid you're at the centre of it, sweethearts" 

Jade turned to look at the Doctor, wide eyed. He sighed, longsuffering. 

"Yeah, it's true. Your Skips, remember?" 

She looked down at the journal with an 'oh'. Now she understood better how that kind of thing could happen. She just didn't get how Melody was tied into it. Then again, she was associated with her  _ and _ the Doctor. Time shenanigans were inevitable. She'd kind of forgotten  _ this _ was a strange meeting too. When she thought of  _ that _ she started smiling. 

"I- I don't think I actually mind. What about you, Melody?", she asked. 

Her friend had an odd look in her eyes as she looked at her journal, "Mm… No. I don't mind" 

Jade was about to ask if something was wrong when the girl grinned at the journal. 

"I'm gonna name mine Chaos Notes!", she declared. 

That was something just so  _ her _ that Jade had to smile, "Then- Then I'll name mine, umm. Uh…" 

Melody leaned her head on her shoulder, still grinning, "Yours is Plot Twist" 

"But-", Jade paused to think of that and found herself nodding slowly, "That fits. Plot Twist and Chaos Notes" 

The adults traded amused glances, let the children play with their new things for a while, and then Rory asked if anyone wanted to dress up the tree. Both lit up and Jade quickly went to put the precious item in her bag before rushing back to Melody to argue whether or not the decorations were good somewhere. 

The Doctor fiddled with his sonic screwdriver as he watched them, glancing outside to the now freezing air. It was a little bit too cold. Not entirely natural, though possible. Might be nothing. 

…Who was he kidding? It was  _ Christmas _ . 

xXXx

It was twelve o'clock and Jade couldn't sleep. She hadn't slept anywhere but the TARDIS for the past ten and something months. Now it was strange to be in a new place. She wasn't scared. Just… frustrated. So she quietly rose out of bed to sneak out to the living room to maybe get some water. Though as she came downstairs… 

"Dad, where are you going?", Jade asked quietly and the Doctor froze in the doorway. 

"Oh, just- taking a stroll, it's some nice weather. Cold, but nice and crisp", he rambled as he put his sonic back in his pocket. 

She frowned, tilting her head,  _ '...There's something wrong and you're checking it out' _

He looked to her with a quirked smile but didn't answer. It was an answer in and of itself. She stared for a moment, unsure. What should she do? Demand to go with him? She didn't think it would be a good idea. There was something niggling at her mind and she reached out to catch his jacket, telling him to wait for a bit as she went to the kitchen. 

She tried the tap and for some reason it didn't surprise her when water never came. 

Then she reached under the sink and got two actual screwdrivers out. She got the feeling he'd need them. So she turned and gave them to him as he'd come to watch what she was doing. He glanced at the tap, still not giving out any water, and then down at her offered items. Two more clues to whatever this was about. Jade was looking at him anxiously. 

"Hey, it's okay. I'll be back soon enough", he told her, pushing her messy hair behind her ear, "Promise" 

The girl took a deep breath before hugging him around the waist, "...I'll see you tomorrow. I just don't know if I can sleep now" 

Her father figure considered that for a second and then nudged an idea into her mind. She looked up at him in disbelief but he assured they wouldn't mind. That Melody wouldn't mind either. Encouraged, she let him go and told him to be careful and quiet. Then she climbed back up the stairs and towards Amy and Rory's room. She knocked and was immediately let in. To her surprise she didn't even have to ask before they ushered her to sleep between them. 

Jade was slightly awkward but felt too safe to be truly bothered. She fell asleep in minutes. 

xXXx

The next morning started with a loud bang and lots of coughing. Jade shot up and immediately rushed down the stairs to see the Doctor running to the kitchen, looking very wet and cold. She hurried after him and heard him whooping in victory as there was the sound of rushing water. The girl tentatively walked closer as he shivered and leaned against the sink, tossing the screwdrivers back into their cabinet. His state confirmed one thing she'd seen in her flashes. 

"You didn't stay quiet", she said, disgruntled, "Now I can't hug you yet!" 

He spun around, surprised, and grinned down at her while still dripping water to the floor, "Jade! My darling girl, whatever would I do without you?" 

"Drown", she informed him, still slightly annoyed but glad he was safe again. 

" _ There's _ that sass I'm familiar with!", his cold fingertip tapped her nose, making her squeak and jump back. 

Amy and Rory came down to see what was going on and the redhead immediately ordered him to shower so they could mop the floor and he'd be  _ warm _ again, for goodness' sake! The Doctor obeyed and moved towards the bathroom, Jade dodging his hand attempting to ruffle her hair. Melody just about jumped out of his way, struggling not to laugh at his appearance. 

A normal start to Christmas if anything. Amy ushered the girls to brush their teeth and get dressed, saying they'd have time to hear how he'd saved the world this time. 

(It was aliens again. A group of aliens who exuded freezing temperatures when scared. They'd somehow ended up locked in the nearest waterworks while their friends tried to get them out by freezing everyone. The species wasn't that smart and disliked loud noises. The Doctor had ended up falling into ice water at one point, having to use the normal screwdrivers as ice picks to get out) 

(The rest of the day was filled with fun as the freezing temperatures had actually also frozen the rain coming at night. They went out to play with snow, opened presents, and played games the Doctor was  _ way _ too good at. It was fun. Perfect for Jade's first family Christmas and birthday. The Doctor left soon after because of a phone call by someone he didn't divulge)

xXXx

The TARDIS materialized in the backyard the next day at exactly 10 am. Jade stood with Melody and felt a tension she hadn't known had built up be released. Her Dad poked his head out with a curious smile. 

"Did you have fun?", he asked. 

She nodded, enthusiastic, "Your future self came to give me a present!" 

"Ah, cool- Wait, what? When?"

"A future regeneration. Don't worry about it yet", Melody informed him and pushed Jade forward, "Go on! You missed him and the TARDIS" 

And Jade ran straight to her home, pausing only to wave at the adult Ponds who were waving through the window. She gave the Doctor a quick hug before bounding up to the jump seat and pulling out Twist. There were a few people and out of order meetings to put in there. She hummed happily and got to work. The Doctor smiled at her bemusedly, shrugged, and started piloting them back into the Vortex. 

xXXx

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I really should focus more on schoolwork than this but... Here we are. Another chapter. Hopefully you liked it!


	5. Smiths and Jones

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meeting Martha.

It had been a few months since Christmas, adventures both on and off and Jade spending time with the Ponds. School was still boring but she still went because Melody was there. It also gave experience in acting like you were still a normal human. The Doctor was still hesitant about having her anywhere near danger and Jade was getting a little antsy about that. She could protect herself okay with her telekinesis. She could protect  _ him _ with it too since she could now float multiple objects at a time. 

Five pretty light objects was her maximum at the moment. She  _ had _ lifted a bed once so she could also do heavy ones but that took much more energy. She'd lasted only eight seconds. 

"Dad, what would you do against an internal shapeshifter?", Jade asked at breakfast one day, slowly chewing banana pancakes, which she'd quickly grown to like. 

The mostly innocent question made the Doctor stiffen and look up at her with apprehension, "An internal shapeshifter, you say?"

There was a good reason for it. Jade tended to blurt things like those out randomly and within a few days, or even the hour, they'd end up actually facing the situation in question. She wasn't even aware of it until it had already happened. This lead to the Doctor being very attentive to her commentary and actions even if they weren't prophetic. The accidental flashes of the future were common enough he had started making sure to heed to them. 

Thus he crafted some ways to counter a shapeshifter before going on his merry way. Jade had wrangled him into teaching her space time coordinates properly before he took her to her final therapy session with Ashley. 

After that he and Jade went to get a new phone for the little girl whose last one got incinerated in a plan to save a historical monument and all the people in it. She was still a little sad that some of the pictures couldn't be saved. 

Of course, that's when he noticed the twisting plasma coils around Royal Hope Hospital. 

xXXx

"Jade, it might be dangerous. Just, stay in the TARDIS, alright?", the Doctor told her as he rushed around putting things in his pocket and quickly adjusting the girl's new phone to universal roaming. 

But this time she was stubborn, "No. I'm coming with you. I can take care of myself!" 

He groaned, "I  _ know _ you can but  _ I _ can't risk it! I can't risk  _ you.  _ I could take you to the Ponds"

"No! I'll be fine, and- and I can  _ help! _ ", she countered, tightening the straps on her backpack and rushing out of the door before he could force her to go. 

He rushed after and tried to grab her but she dodged and he processed her words, "...You got more Flashes?" 

She scrunched her brows and nodded tightly. He could tell she was telling the truth but omitting some little details of that. He didn't trust it. 

"Can you  _ promise _ me you'll be okay?", he asked sternly. 

Jade paused, not remembering if he'd  _ asked _ that of her before, and not wanting to lie to him she said, "I- I think so?" 

"You  _ think _ so", he stated flatly. 

She scowled up at him, "It doesn't work like that. I won't die. I promise" 

He searched her face thoroughly and huffed, walking towards the hospital and not arguing anymore. Jade was shocked for a second before she quickly skipped after him with a smile. Then she playfully took his hand to comfort him. He squeezed it, a silent promise to look after her. She squeezed back to say she'd be as careful as she could be so he wouldn't have to. 

xXXx

Her headband had a built in perception filter that made her hair and look like it was black. It basically switched her hair color to the headband and the headband color to her hair. She could activate and shut it down with the fingerprint locked buttons behind her ears. Besides them it looked like normal cloth. The Doctor had made it for her after she'd gotten uncomfortable being stared at in the streets of the past. Of course, she hadn't outright told him that since she hadn't been comfortable asking things then. 

He'd also let her help make it so she could learn how the technology worked. He had taken to doing that since she'd built a freaking  _ huon particle vacuum _ . With the TARDIS' and some Flashes' help, granted, but still. 

So. They were sneaking into the hospital. Jade pretended to have a severe stomach ache since he had two hearts and didn't want  _ her  _ exploring the might-be-dangerous hospital at all. He had more freedom if he was a guardian and not a patient. It helped that Jade seemed to have an enormous amount of patience so she didn't mind playing sick. 

Thus, it was Jade Smith that was admitted to the hospital by her father, John Smith. 

xXXx

The next morning the Doctor snuck out of Jade's hospital room to investigate the happenings inside it. Maybe find the source of the plasma coils. He'd done a bit of searching in the night but not too much. He told her to stay but didn't wait for a reply. His mistake. Jade snuck out with only a little bit of guilt, backpack in hand and a hoodie over her hospital gown. She quickly rushed down to a storage room and scowled at the lock. 

She didn't have a sonic device. Annoying. And she hadn't learned how to lockpick. Or open the locks with her telekinesis. 

An oversight she would soon rectify once they were back at the TARDIS. She sighed and opened her backpack to pull out an oxygen tank. And another. And more. Too many to fit in a small backpack like hers but she had a Time Lord on her side. They made bigger on the inside their signature. Dimensional adjustments were easy peasy. As well as weight adjustments because there's no way she could have lifted all of the tanks at the same time. 

Soon enough there were eight oxygen tanks in front of the storage door and Jade was hurrying back to her room. Right when a woman turned a corner and bumped into her. Jade stumbled back and looked up with wide, slightly fearful eyes. 

"Wha-? How did you get here?", the woman who had apparently just got in from outside was looking between her and the world door of the lobby with confusion, "And how did you change so fast!" 

Jade furrowed her brows in confusion, "Um…" 

The woman whose skin was dark but lighter than hers shook her head slightly as if to clear it. 

"Ah, no. Sorry. You looked like someone else", she looked her over with a quirked brow and an amused expression, "I'm Martha, little lady. What's your name?" 

"...Jade", she said, hugging her backpack closer and taking steps back so she could bolt if need be. 

"Nice to meet you, Jade. Now, you seem to be a little lost. Can you tell me where you need to go? I'll guide you", and she relaxed as the stranger turned out to be friendly and helpful. 

She smiled and told Martha her room number and how her stomach hurt and she'd wanted to get some air, the lies and truth mixing in to a believable story. Though, she accidentally put the Doctor in a small spot of trouble since he wasn't anywhere to be seen and he was Jade's father. Who he'd left alone with stomach aches. Not very parent-like actions, those. 

Martha left her to prepare for her class in the changing room after wishing her well and Jade felt comfortable. And since her Dad didn't ask if she'd stayed in the room she decided not to tell him. 

xXXx

The moon. They were on the moon. H2O scoop had planted them on the moon and Jade was a little overwhelmed by the panic going on in her hospital room. 

Martha had come to check on her with her class, which had been a strange coincidence, and it had revealed her wanderings to the Doctor. He had not been very happy with her but wasn't angry either. Just exasperated. He had gotten a loaded remark or two from Martha and then they'd all gotten a bit distracted by electric shocks everywhere. 

And now they were on the moon and Jade wanted to change back to her own clothes. 

The Doctor threw her her backpack and she gratefully took it to change behind a screen while everyone else panicked over their sudden displacement. She was a little jealous of her Dad at the moment whose telepathy was mostly touch based and empathy without mind-to-mind contact non-existent. Except when it came to her. And some other psychics. 

She was a bit tetchy about being bombarded by pure panic, okay? She hadn't learned how to project emotions to masses yet! 

Then Martha stormed in, exuding controlled calm and authority even if her apprehension shone through. She could've sighed in relief. The Doctor went up to talk to her as Jade finished putting on her yellow and green hoodie. It clashed with her blue shirt and pink shorts but she liked looking colorful since she hadn't had any opportunity to in the past. 

The girl slung her brown and orange backpack on before marching to her guardian and grabbing his hand, "Dad, I wanna see!" 

"No time", he dismissed her before backtracking, "Actually, fancy a trip outside? You too, Jones?" 

Martha blinked, "Sure" 

Jade just tugged at his hand impatiently, getting him to follow even as he was mostly turned towards Martha and reminding her they might die. The easy reply of they might not filtered through easy. Though she questioned why he was exposing his  _ daughter _ to danger. 

"She'd follow anyway", he said, annoyed. 

"I'd follow anyway", Jade confirmed at the exact same moment, "And it's not dangerous" 

The Doctor huffed and suddenly lifted her her up, making her squeak in surprise. He mentally told her to hold on even as she climbed around him like a monkey to become a human backpack. It had become customary when they could have need to run fast. Martha watched them with a mixture of shock, wistfulness, and amusement. 

Anyway. They went to the balcony, found a forcefield, Judoon invaded and started looking for non-humans, and Jade clung tightly to the Doctor's back as he rushed about trying to find something in the computers. After that things went fast. Martha found the alien, they destroyed a slab where Jade helped Martha find the correct button, the Doctor found out the alien was a plasmavore and thus a shapechanger. An internal shapeshifter. Because  _ of course _ it was. He had a substance that would reverse the change. 

The air supply was thinning and the plasmavore was trying to destroy everyone's brains so she could escape. Jade and Martha got a job to lead the Judoon to the plasmavore while the Doctor took care of her assimilating abilities. They got the Judoon to follow them and showed them the plasmavore. 

Unfortunately, they scanned the Doctor too. 

Jade thought quickly and made convincing arguments of them having lived on Earth for a long time now. That he was her father. The Judoon scanned her and found her human with something unidentified in the mix. That cleared them. And then destroyed the plasmavore. Jade buried her face into the Doctor's abdomen to spare herself from the sight. Then she finally let herself collapse from oxygen starvation. 

" _ Jade! _ You promised!", he told her urgently, checking her over. 

The girl forced her focus on her father for a second, "Save the world", before shakily turning her head to the young woman beside them, "Martha, backpack" 

It spoke volumes on the Doctor's trust that he just ordered Martha to look after her and do as she said before turning to the plasmavore's attempt in destroying the Earth. The doctor-in-training quickly opened the zipper and gasped at the oxygen tank inside. She pulled it out, trying not to marvel at  _ how _ by focusing on Jade's eyes drifting closed. She expertly put the mask on her and Jade started breathing again. It reminded the woman that she herself was feeling breathless too. 

The Doctor joined them soon enough and helped Jade sit up. The girl then offered both of them the mask and refused to take it back until they'd gotten a good few breaths in. 

"...I promised not to die", she reminded the Doctor once things were calmer and they were moving closer to a window to see what would happen. 

Her Dad was carrying her because she was tired and he wanted to keep her close after that scared. His other hand was supporting Martha as they gazed on the moon and the rain that fell down on it. 

"So you did", he said simply, relenting in the mental cold shoulder he'd had on for the past minute, "I'd still prefer you also stayed unhurt" 

She nodded into his shoulder,  _ 'But  _ you _ would've gotten hurt if I wasn't here' _

_ 'That's-' _ , the Doctor cut himself off from saying different, a sudden realization washing over him. 

He'd known. He'd known since Jade had started calling him her father that they were family. But he hadn't really thought of what it  _ meant _ . She worried. She  _ cared _ so much. And if something happened to  _ him _ , she'd be alone again. Well, she  _ could _ go to the Ponds but they weren't  _ home _ like he seemed to be. He knew. He'd  _ felt _ her emotions. Then he couldn't think anymore since the whole hospital shook as it was transported to its proper place. 

_ 'Dad?' _ , Jade caught his attention sleepily and pushed an emotion at him. One he felt in his own hearts. 

_ 'I... I love you too, Jade' _ , he thought back with more weight than before and bid a hasty goodbye to a half-conscious Martha. 

They didn't want to be here when UNIT or whatever other organization plunged headfirst into the aftermath of this. 

xXXx

Martha Jones had said she'd have a party that day. Her brother's birthday party. She was smart, kind, and could focus in a hard situation. And… it would be really nice to have someone on board again. Someone who could be with Jade when things got crazy. She liked her. The Doctor liked her. So they went to see her and saw some of her family's drama along the way. 

She seemed fond and frustrated. A voice of reason in a flood of arguments and counter arguments. 

"Martha!" 

The woman turned at Jade's voice and looked surprised to see them. The Doctor smiled a little and tilted his head to the side, telling her to follow. Then he started walking around the corner. Jade grinned at her and beckoned for her to come with her hand. 

Martha smiled with curiosity and started after them, wondering what they wanted to show her. She turned another corner to see them next to a public police call box. The Doctor was leaning against it impassively while Jade bounced in place with excitement. 

"I went to the moon today", Martha started, awe evident in her voice. 

The Doctor's lips quirked, "A bit more peaceful down here, eh?" 

Jade seemed to smother a giggle. Martha smiled. She really was a cute child. But… 

"You guys never even told me who you are. The Doctor, yeah, but what species?", she seemed to realize what she'd just said, "...It's not every day you can ask that" 

"I'm mostly human!", Jade chirped, "He's a Time Lord" 

"Bit pretentious… Wait. How's that work?", Martha looked between them. 

"Adopted", the Doctor said easily, "And Jade's odd side, she's a psychic. She knows things" 

"Huh", the woman sounded out, "...You weren't really sick at all, were you?" 

The girl shook her head, bounding up to her and smiling, "You were great up there" 

Martha grinned in slight agreement, happy for the compliment. Then she abruptly decided to ruffle the girl's hair. She reminded her of when Leo, her little brother, was younger. In a good way. Then she risked a look at the Doctor who was watching his daughter fondly. His gaze found hers and a teasing glint entered the alien's eyes. 

"So!", he stood straight and started walking towards them, "Since you helped us out and looked after my jeopardy friendly daughter…  _ and _ I've got a brand new sonic screwdriver…", he deftly fished said item out of his pocket, "Martha Jones. Would you fancy a trip?" 

There was a moment of stunned silence before she asked, "Like, in space?" 

"Yeah", the Doctor confirmed, sonic back where it belonged. 

The woman frowned, growing distressed at what she'd have to decline. It was  _ space _ . She was saying no to traveling in  _ space _ with a helpful alien and his adorable daughter. 

"I can't, I've got exams and my family would go mad and I have rent to pay-" 

The Doctor cut her off, "If it helps, I can also travel in time" 

Disbelief was evident, "Get outta here" 

He didn't say anything. Jade looked far too amused, like she  _ knew _ the woman was wrong and would see the error of her ways soon enough. 

"No, really, that's going too far", Martha said but her mind kept repeating  _ Time Lord _ and a feeling like this was too good to be true. 

Then Jade lifted her hands to her head, right behind her ears, and Martha stared in shock as she saw white take black's place. Where once was a white headband now laya black one and the shock of curly white hair looked far from natural. But also very familiar. 

"But- How? You  _ can't _ have been the girl from this morning! I saw you two within seconds of each other and she ran the opposite- No way!", her eyes were wide. 

The Doctor looked between them, a slow grin overtaking his face, "Looks like I can prove that time travel I real!" 

And he beckoned Jade inside to quickly dematerialize the TARDIS and travel to that morning where he quickly let the girl out. She ran right outside the hospital, looking through the crowd before spotting who she needed. The girl rushed up to the woman, stopping her from getting in. 

"Hey, do you have tissues or a piece of paper or something?", she asked hurriedly. 

Martha looked from her hair to her colorful clothes before smiling politely, "Just a second", and she took a crumpled but clean tissue out of her pocket and giving it to her. 

"Thank you so much! See ya later!", and Jade rushed off towards her Dad, waving it in the air. 

He smiled at her and pulled the TARDIS into the vortex and towards that evening, only a second after they left. The girl bounded out of the doors and presented the tissue to Martha with cheeks flushed in excitement. 

"You believe us now, right?", she grinned as Martha took the tissue reverently. 

The woman's eyes were slightly dazed and bright with the same excitement as she replied, "I think I do" 

And so Martha Jones was welcomed aboard the TARDIS. 

On an unrelated note, Jade had a new out of order meeting to scratch in Twist. To anyone who asked what she was doing she said she was Plotting. No one not in the know would understand. Though the Doctor looked slightly unnerved. 

xXXx

"No. We're not going yet", Jade told the Doctor stubbornly. 

"But-" 

"Martha's tired", she said and Martha grimaced, guilty. 

"But-" 

" _ I'm _ tired", she pressed. 

That shut him up and he sighed, turning to Martha, "Right. Do you want to sleep here or at home?" 

The woman looked torn. She clearly wanted to see the space-time-ship but knew it would be hard to sleep in a new place. She was afraid too. To leave the ship. As if they'd leave her behind. Or whisk her away to places unknown where she didn't know anyone or anything. 

Jade decided for her, "C'mon! The TARDIS will know exactly what you want. She's got a telepathic field" 

"Telepathy? As in, mind reading?", Martha asked, dubious, as she let the girl lead her through hallways. 

"Kinda", Jade stated, "She's alive and cares for her residents. And she does peek into our minds to translate alien languages and create the perfect rooms for us" 

There was uncomfortable feelings coming off of her, "Isn't that, I don't know, dangerous?" 

"Nah. She's the safest being you can have in your head. Super helpful too. Case in point!", Jade chirped as she opened a door for the woman, "Your room!" 

Martha looked inside and gasped. The girl left her to it and told her she'd find her or the Doctor if she just walked around and asked the TARDIS. If she didn't ask, Jade said her room was just down the hall and the Doctor didn't sleep that much so he might hear if she called. Then she helpfully said there would be a bathroom, toothbrush and clothes in there. Probably through a door. She snickered as she saw Martha's overwhelmed look and heard her distracted thank you. 

"Don't thank me. Thank the TARDIS", she said and went to sleep her exhaustion off. 

xXXx

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeash! Martha's on board now. And Jade is making things different again. Just a little, but a little might amount to much later on. Oh, and I so do not have a beta reader and just post whenever something's done.


	6. Time Shenanigans

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bringing Martha in as a companion slash babysitter and having some more out-of-order meetings.

Martha listened patiently as the little girl across from her chattered on about how amazing this and that thing had been. The Doctor interjected in some points, making banana pancakes for breakfast and looking way too  _ normal _ for what the medical student had associated with the alien. It was a little bit surreal still to see the two act like a small family while living on a living spaceship time machine. 

Especially after the adventure they had just had. Because yesterday, it had been 1599 and they met William Shakespeare. And Carrionites who wanted to take over the world. 

It was honestly very scary but at the same time exhilarating and did these two live like that all the time? The answer she got from the Doctor was a sharp negative she didn't believe and Jade said that things like these happened often but not as often as she'd think. Sometimes there were strings of trouble, though. Which seemed like a likely thing right then. 

Martha believed Jade's explanation better. And to be honest… she wanted in. She  _ wanted _ to stay here and do things and  _ help _ . 

Sure, there were things at home she wanted done. She was going to become a doctor. But… there was no harm in taking a break from it, was there? Besides, it seemed the Doctor knew a lot about medicine too. And there was a library on the TARDIS. 

Jade was staring at her knowingly and glanced at her father. They stared at each other and seemed to have a silent conversation. He sighed and served them both pancakes before plopping down on a chair with his own plate in his hands and legs comfortably stretched out. 

"You can stay if you want", he told Martha abruptly, "I've been looking for a babysitter anyway" 

"You've been looking for a  _ friend _ ", Jade corrected, "And she'd be more  _ your  _ babysitter, Mr. Rude-Not-Ginger" 

The Doctor gave her a  _ look _ that was more of a disgruntled pout than a reprimand. She hid her smile in a forkful of pancakes but her eyes twinkled in amusement that she shared with a shocked Martha. The woman started smiling widely. 

"Yeah! Of course I'd like to stay! I really could use a break from my studies… Where to next?" 

The alien seemed to contemplate needlessly before smirking, "You've been to the past. How about the future?" 

xXXx

The Doctor took them to New New York, where he'd last been with Addie and Rose or so he said. Jade was curious about that and asked him to tell them what that was like. He just said they'd stopped some cat nurses from transferring illnesses to artificially grown humans and left it at that. Martha was curious about something else and asked how many of the Doctor's traveling companions had been female. 

He spluttered even as Jade replied absently, not really knowing how she knew but that she  _ knew _ . And it wasn't  _ that _ much. Only around 60%. 

Anyway. There was a place called Pharmacytown that they were now at. Martha wasn't impressed. Neither was Jade, really. She was sad too. That is, until someone called out to them. She whirled around and gaped. 

" _ Melody!? _ ", the Doctor voiced her surprise when she couldn't, "But- What-  _ How? _ " 

She grinned as she stopped in front of them, bouncing on her feet, "Fancy meeting you here! Gemmie, you look so  _ young! _ " 

And Jade was struck by a realization she couldn't quite voice yet. So instead she stepped up to the girl she considered a sister and her bestie and gazed up at her familiar but older face. Melody cooed and crouched down to pinch her cheeks, which made her frown in bafflement. The young woman grinned like a cat that got the cream. 

"How old are you?", Jade asked, straight to the point, as she dug out Twist from a hoodie pocket the Doctor had  _ finally _ agreed to make bigger on the inside so she didn't have to carry her backpack all the time. 

"Eighteen and four months", Melody chirped as she took out Chaos from her brown bag, "You?" 

"Nine and a half. You're an adult now?", Jade voiced her suspicions since the girl, or woman, in front of her looked only sixteen. 

"Yup. Wait, nine and a half. I had something to say. A message…", Melody muttered as she flipped through her Notes, "Ah- _ a! _ ", she gave her a stern look, "Sis, just  _ ask _ me already!" 

Jade almost dropped her pen as she startled, looking up with wide eyes, "...You'll say yes?" 

"Of course I will, dummy", Melody grumbled. 

The little girl's climb to happiness was interrupted by the two forgotten in the whirl of their meetup. Martha stepped up to them with a disgruntled expression. 

"Okay, I get that you're speaking English but your words make no sense. Who  _ is _ she?" 

"Someone who shouldn't be here", the Doctor commented as he looked Melody up and down, having scanned her with his screwdriver, "How did you get your hands on a  _ Vortex Manipulator? _ " 

Melody grinned, "This old thing? I fixed it up after finding it in our attic. That took  _ years _ " 

The Doctor's expression said he hadn't gotten a satisfactory answer and looked about to demand the thing back. To tell her that time travel wasn't something to mess with. Melody gave him a  _ look _ . 

"You're my Uncle", she said flatly, "Of course you already gave me that lecture. Jade's timeline  _ needs _ me. Can't you feel it twisting around us?" 

He looked like he didn't want to but did anyway, running a hand through his messy hair harshly as he turned to move forward with one last glare at her, "You better have listened, then"

Melody grinned cheekily and grabbed Jade's hand. They started walking with Martha looking terribly confused and miffed that no one was  _ answering _ . She started leisurely walking next to the girls who took pity on her and told her the basics of their situation. That effort seemed a little bit wasted since Martha seemed to understand intellectually but not really  _ understand _ that they met out of order some of the time. That time wasn't linear. She just couldn't wrap her mind around the concept. 

That was okay, the girls told her, because their lives were strange even by Time Lords standards. Apparently. 

"Are you really eighteen? You look really young", Martha asked at some point. 

"I am!", Melody replied indignantly but even as she spoke the Doctor's light conversation with Jade turned into urgent demands. 

The two turned to look and saw a girl putting a patch to her neck. They didn't catch what she was saying. Martha walked closer to see, suspicion in her eyes and a disgusted and sad frown on her face once the girl's eyes turned vacant. The patch read 'forget'. And it really seemed like she'd forgotten what she'd wanted to. Though she had no idea why she'd want to forget her parents went on a trip. 

"What's the Motorway?", she asked the Doctor. 

"I don't-", his reply was cut off by Melody's alarmed cry and they turned to see the young woman getting dragged away. 

" _ Melody! _ ", Jade screamed and tried to run towards her but the people had a gun pointed at them and the Doctor dragged her back. 

He then pushed her over to Martha with a clear intention of not letting her rush in danger and the medical student complied. Then he started negotiating with the desperate maybe a couple. It was more like he shouted at them to calm down and promising help if they let the girl go. But he was too slow and the two got through a door, slamming it closed, all the while saying apologies. 

The Doctor immediately rushed to open the door, "Martha, take Jade to the TARDIS!" 

But Jade didn't want to go, not when her  _ sister _ was in danger. She wanted to help! The Doctor was gone and Martha stood there, undecided. She looked up at her fellow dark skinned female with pleading light gray eyes. The medical student avoided her gaze as she thought on what to do. 

"How about we find information?", she suggested as a compromise. 

And Jade was… okay with that. Plus, she had a gut feeling Melody would be fine. It didn't stop the worry. But it helped her focus on what would actually be needed. 

So the Doctor chased after Melody's kidnappers while Martha and Jade tried to find out what the Motorway  _ actually _ was. 

xXXx

They had only just finished questioning a shopkeeper when the Doctor doubled back and was immediately irritated and exasperated at the sight of them. 

"I told you to get back to the TARDIS!", he groaned. 

"Yeah, well. I thought it'd be more useful to find out what's going on", Martha said back, "They took her because the only way to access the 'fast lane' in the Motorway is to have three adult passengers" 

He looked like he wanted to argue but Martha cut her eyes towards Jade in answer and reminder as to why they hadn't left. The Doctor looked at the little girl, stern. Demanding an explanation. 

"That's my  _ sister _ ", Jade reminded him firmly, "The Motorway is that way. It's got toxic fumes in it" 

He hesitated for a split second before just grabbing her up and telling Martha to follow if she wished. His daughter maneuvered herself to his back as they ran towards the Motorway, the Doctor digging some masks out of his pockets and passing them to Jade and Martha. The girl on his back huffed and took out another to put it on his face. 

There was amusement and slight surprise from him even as Jade smiled smugly behind her mask. She had his back. Literally. 

The masks would only filter most toxins and didn't go out of its way to block mostly harmless chemicals. It was much better than nothing but still not perfect. Especially for Jade and Martha who didn't have the Doctor's improved biology and healing factor or respiratory bypass. The Doctor wasn't in a habit of carrying gas masks. These were only there because Jade had had another flash a few days ago and insisted on getting those. He'd put two for each of them since Martha hadn't been with them. 

It didn't take long to reach the Motorway but when they did they quickly realized the fumes were even more pronounced than they initially thought they would. They were visible to the naked eye and some of the harmless toxic substances were making Martha cough and Jade try not to breathe too deeply. There were cars  _ everywhere _ , nobody even moving but every car running and producing the stink. 

_ 'This is why I didn't want you two with me' _ , the Doctor grumbled to Jade who huffed back mentally. 

Then Martha waved down at a car and the two looked on in wonder as she was let on board. They hadn't really thought of that. Not seriously. Martha quickly beckoned them over and the Doctor rushed to climb in the car. He quickly closed the door and looked at the one who let them in. 

"What were you thinking, standing in exhaust fumes like that!", the cat man berated, "With a little one no less" 

The Doctor let Jade down and she pulled her mask to her neck, ignoring the adults' conversation and focusing more on the meowing at the back. She trotted over curiously and leaned around a curtain to see kittens. Or, well, cat human hybrids? Still, they were just babies. There was what was probably a bed and a door that read a toilet. The place looked… lived-in. She turned back to the couple who were driving forward now and frowned. 

"Hey, how long have you been driving?", she questioned. 

"Oh, about twelve years", the driver commented to the shock of Martha and the Doctor. 

"Twelve years?", Martha voiced her incredulity, "How much ground did you cover?" 

"This makes five miles now", he said. 

The Doctor shook his head, "Irrelevant, we need to find Melody. She was taken hostage and is in one of the cars out there" 

Suddenly Jade's phone rang and she quickly pulled it out to answer. Her heart skipped a beat at the name and she answered while clutching the phone eagerly. 

"Melody?", she asked, "Are you okay?" 

" _ Yeah, yeah, fine. Except these idiot newly weds want to go to the fast lane  _ where I hear growling!", she sounded very,  _ very _ frustrated, " _ I'm tempted to just hop out of here _ " 

Jade sighed in relief, shoulders relaxing. Her Dad snatched the phone and started asking questions, mostly pertaining to her location. She replied sharply and asked for safe coordinates if things got messy. The Doctor gave them easily enough, asking if the car would move more and getting a negative, and Jade was a little jealous. She wanted to learn it soon too. They were  _ hard! _ And she still hadn't gotten the hang of the time sense she was just developing, the same that let the Doctor know his coordinates in an instant. It would help so much with Skipping, which was mostly instincts and Rina for now. 

Then the Doctor tensed and started asking what was going on. He didn't get an answer he liked if his expression was something to go by, as his emotions. Jade got the idea as she realized the car had moved to the fast lane. That they were  _ moving _ and it wasn't a good idea for a beginner to transport themselves through the vortex from a moving location. Her heart was beating faster now and then Martha cried in shock. 

They all turned to see another cat person drop down from the ceiling. She immediately greeted the Doctor. 

"Do I know you?", he asked even as the driver complained it was beginning to be a too-tight fit. 

"Oh, you haven't aged a day since then!", the cat woman exclaimed, "Time has been less kind to me" 

Then her Dad felt recognition, "Novice Hame!", and he went to hug her before, "No, wait, the last time we met you were breeding humans for experimentation!" 

Everyone just kinda… stared. They had almost no idea what was going on. Jade, on the other hand, went to get her phone back and the Doctor let her. 

"Melody?", she asked over the talking, "What's happening?" 

" _ There's lots of noises down here… Growls. And I see big figures. They've got… giant claws. As big as a small house _ ", she explained nervously over the line. 

Jade thought that sounded familiar. Very familiar. Like she'd seen them before but not like  _ that _ . Exhaust fumes. Toxins. Which species did… 

"Dad, do the Macra devolve?", she called out. 

"Yeah", he replied absently, "I'm not leaving her, or Jade. We need to get down there- wait Macra? Of course! You remembered the Empress, Jade, you brilliant girl!" 

"Doctor", Hame looked frustrated, "This situation is even worse than you're thinking. You need to come with me", and then she grabbed his wrist. 

Jade gasped and ran forward, grabbing on just as Hame pressed the button. The call cut off, Martha shouted something in worry and horror, and they disappeared from the car. 

xXXx

The Doctor groaned from the ground and maneuvered himself up a little, glaring at Hame before his eyes found Jade. She was lying on her side with glazed eyes hand creeping up to her head and projecting hurt. She hadn't projected anything in a while. Not on accident. He stiffly reached out to help her cope, checking if it was her mind that was hurting. 

He eased some of the pain and she gratefully helped him put her mental shields back in order. Then she straight up ignored the aches in her body and took her phone to call Melody again, slightly frantic. 

" _ DOCTOR! _ ", her voice shouted over the line with some banging noises, making Jade's blood freeze, " _ Coordinates! Now!" _

And the Doctor immediately took the phone and gave their new location that Hame assured was safe. He then turned right to see three people materializing out of nowhere. The 'idiot newly weds' crumpled with groans and panted in relief while Melody shook herself out of the shock with ease. She stumbled forward, grinning at them weakly. 

"Thanks", she said before Jade crashed into her midsection to hug her tightly. 

The Doctor looked at them both with relief, "No problem. I think I forgive myself for not getting that thing away from you" 

"You better", the young woman teased before turning serious, "So, what's going on? Why do the police put you on hold and no one ever seems to get anywhere?" 

Everyone paused. Then turned to Hame. The cat woman sighed and began telling the story of Bliss. It was not a nice tale to hear. A drug that killed off an entire city in seven minutes. 

The heavy silence that descended on them was once again broken by Jade's phone ringing. 

"Martha?", she asked. 

" _ Oh, good! You're okay… If you're okay why didn't you call? _ ", the woman asked on the other side, having had the Doctor sonic her phone earlier that day. 

Jade paused, brain halting, before she replied sheepishly, "...We forgot?" 

" _ You forgot _ ", she said flatly, " _ Of course you _ forgot _. What's so important you forgot me!? _ " 

Once again, her phone was snatched away from her and the Doctor replied, "We're saving everybody down there. Just hold on, you'll get out within the hour!", and then he terminated the call. 

Melody quirked a brow. Jade smiled. Hame looked relieved and the couple amongst them was very confused but hopeful. 

"This way", the cat woman started leading them through the halls of the empty Senate. 

xXXx

The Face of Boe was dying. 

They'd saved the whole Undercity from the Motorway but he had given the last of his life force to let them do so. Even the big power source the Doctor and Jade had scraped together from the miscellaneous things in their pockets wasn't enough to power a whole city's gates. Melody had crouched near the big old face and her face was twisted in sadness. 

_ 'It's… nice to see you again… Little Song' _ , the Face of Boe projected to all of them. 

Melody sniffed quietly, tears slipping down her cheeks, "I- I'm sorry. So sorry. I don't… I don't know you yet" 

Boe chuckled, the sound vibrating in everyone,  _ 'Oh, Melody, it's alright… Memories and feelings still echo down timelines… Ours more than most…' _

"You're still dying!", she cried, "I'll meet you and then I know how you die! It's not fair!" 

_ 'It's not a horrible way to go… We've had billions of years, Mels' _ , Boe said, sympathetic,  _ 'Your side of the story is only just starting… Look forward to it. Live your life and don't let worries drown you. Don't lose hope… Grow and learn as you go, Little Song'  _

"I- I will", Melody promised even as Jade slowly sat closer to the Face of Boe, trying not to cry herself but projecting her emotions towards the old being she felt like she  _ knew _ , like she knew Melody. 

_ 'Little Gem, too. You are a bright light in the universe… Don't let yourself take on too much, lean on your family… You're both going to be fine' _ , then he addressed the Doctor,  _ 'You, Doctor, look after them, and after yourself. We've lived so long and seen so much… Many things wonderful, many things terrible. I am the last of my kind now…' _

The Doctor leaned close, face emotionless but eyes deep and sorrowful, "So am I. That's why we have to survive" 

_ 'Everything has its time… And I do not regret how I spent mine… Know this, Time Lord' _ , Boe took a deep breath and opened his mouth to say something out loud, "You… are not alone" 

His eyes closed slowly,  _ 'Friends, new and old, I am happy to have you here now that it's my time to go… And if the Cycles allow, I will see you again in another life' _

Then, he was gone. Jade started crying softly, but there was a new hope brimming in her chest. She couldn't understand it but it was there. Rina told her it was because he knew about the Cycles, whatever those were supposed to be. The Doctor pulled her into a hug and Melody turned to bury her head in his shoulder. Martha came closer, hesitating, but got pulled in by Jade. 

Hame was crying in her grief and the couple slowly came up to copy them, enveloping the cat nurse into a hug of her own. This time the silence held as they all thanked the old face for his sacrifice, even as they would miss him. 

xXXx

The trip back to the TARDIS was melancholy. Jade and Melody held hands as they walked, hit hardest by the loss of their future friend. Because that's what he  _ had _ to be. Martha seemed lost in thought as she wandered near the Doctor, plagued by questions and the sensitive timing. Pharmacytown was still running but wouldn't be for much longer since Hame had promised to take care of that. 

It didn't take too long to be back at the blue box Jade and her Dad called home. She turned to Melody with sad eyes. 

"You gotta go, don't you?" 

Melody smiled without feeling it, "Yeah. Sorry, Gem" 

Her grip on the older girl's hand tightened, "Stay for lunch?" 

After a bit of thought she agreed. They stepped into the TARDIS and wandered over to the kitchen. The Doctor started pulling ingredients out and Melody stepped up to help him. He tried to push her away a little but she insisted. Then she proceeded to almost read his mind in his movements and the Doctor had to concede that they had done this before at some point. 

"When did I teach you?", he asked suspiciously. 

"All the time", Mels giggled weakly, "We do it all the time back home. But it's complicated meetings again" 

He tsked, "Of course it is, when isn't it?" 

" _ Faaaar _ into your future", she replied, teasing. 

Well, at least he knew it would stop. That was reassuring. Jade's and Melody's timelines could be headache inducing if he focused on those for too much. Not that his own was any better. Everyone relaxed at the friendly tones in their conversation. 

Martha too had the courage to start asking questions, "...That Face of Boe. You're saying you'll run into him in the future?" 

All the time travelers nodded. Then started explaining their relations to each other a little more closely. This time Martha followed easier since she'd seen two concrete examples of crossing timelines. But she had more questions. 

"What did he mean? He said you were the last of your species", she asked carefully. 

Everyone quieted. That was a hard topic and Jade walked over to her father to lean against his leg in comfort. It took a while but he started talking. Told them that there was a war. That he was the last survivor. That there was no way others survived since he  _ should _ feel them inside his head. But he did tell them what Gallifrey had been like. 

Jade was… content. He was healing. She knew he was healing. And she had a flash and knew he'd feel happy again too. 

"Dad", she started slowly, clutching at his jacket, "I don't think the Face of Boe was wrong" 

He stared into her eyes for a while, looking for any signs of deceit even after feeling her sincerity in his mind, and gasped sharply as the implications hit. Then he started smiling. An incredulous bark of laughter left his lungs as he pat Jade on her head, telling her again that she was a miracle or as close as you could get. Then, with much more joy in the air, he and Melody brought out their lunch and started conversing much more easily and freely. 

xXXx

Jade's first encounter with Daleks might have also been her last encounter with them. No, no, don't get her wrong. She  _ would _ encounter them more than once… but the woman holding her said she had seen them get destroyed and hadn't seen them since. It was weird to be able to completely trust her and  _ know _ her. As for who she was? 

Brown skin, frizzy curls in a tight ponytail, youthful looking but with light grey eyes so very old they might have to upgrade the word 'ancient'. 

She was apparently very much immune to the Blinovitch Limitation Effect that stated no two of the same person or object could touch each other. Which was the only way possible in which the same person could hold a younger version of themselves. Apparently their connection to time outright erased the effects or so older Jade said. She trusted older Jade. 

So did the Doctor who marveled at seeing the little girl all grown up. 

Apparently future Jade had Skipped straight into the Dalek camp and hid there to rescue some of the humans who got caught. The humans had left the mine traumatized and slightly incoherent. No one had really believed them when they said there were metal creatures that turned people into pigmen. No one except Tallulah. Not until the Doctor, Martha, and little Jade got there. 

Then the Daleks had caught  _ her _ and Dalek Sec made her help them make human-Daleks, which the Doctor had gotten drawn into at some point too. Older Jade and him made an escape plan, implemented it, and got zapped. Or so she said. Younger Jade didn't know what to make of it and her older self assured she didn't need to know yet. Then she ushered them into the TARDIS. 

After a long, anxious wait that Martha faced bravely and assured Jade of, the Doctor sauntered into the TARDIS with a way too cheerful expression that was just as sharp. 

"Well, then! Less Daleks in the universe and one more species growing in peace!", he announced, "I was wondering where the Squigons came from" 

Apparently future Jade had taken the human-Daleks somewhere to start their new life. Huh. Martha was a little overwhelmed at all the complications time travel gave with it. Jade sometimes was too. But it did seem in this instance that it was a future her problem. 

Hopefully they didn't have another adventure too soon after this trip. Four in a row was a bit much. 

xXXx

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wohoo! I did it! Another chapter! And it didn't take months. I'm very happy about that. This chapter basically brought Martha in the fold and introduced the crazy time shenanigans going on. Hopefully you liked it!
> 
> What did you think of Melody popping out of nowhere?


	7. Family Mission to SS Pentallian

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Martha is homesick, Melody turns thirteen, Jade Skips again, and everyone ends up on a crashing spacecraft.

The next few trips weren't that adventurous and Martha seemed delighted by the universe. Except for the times it got a bit boring. She'd already gotten used to the rush of adventure and had liked it. To be honest, she loved the other trips too. The new places, new people, new cultures, new  _ everything _ . Even if some of the disgusting things fascinated her a little. Like the species that vomited their food after they used the nutrients. 

Jade and the Doctor seemed to love showing her everything they could think of, or then the Doctor wanted to show his daughter something, or get a part for a gadget thing he'd been building.

Sometimes Jade shyly asked for something or other and the Doctor had a hard time refusing anything. 

Martha had almost laughed when the little girl asked to get a skipping rope for Melody's thirteenth birthday, and the Doctor almost worked himself into an excited frenzy. They needed to find the  _ perfect _ one for her, apparently. It ended up being from the future and could be extended to any length it was wanted in. The durability of the material was so good it was insane. It also blended in to the right century. 

It was a good gift since Melody and her family tended to get in trouble with aliens pretty often too. They had apparently met someone called Sarah Jane, who also tended to find trouble and the families sometimes were in contact. The journalist's two children were pretty much Melody and Jade's only other friends who were children. 

But… the journey to  _ get _ the skipping rope, well. That was something Martha would rather not think about lest she burst out laughing again. 

At least Jade seemed happy. Then again, so was she. The medical student didn't know if the Doctor did it on purpose or not but she thought at least some of the more ridiculous instances had been a bit of an act. For Jade's sake. Who clearly loved to get swept up in the whirlwind of activity once the Doctor got passionate about an idea. 

Then they stumbled upon another adventure where Jade learnt to drive a futuristic mini-cart hover thing, Martha saved a man from getting incinerated, the Doctor solved an age old mystery and saved the day, and a city almost disappeared off the face of planet Earth. The whole thing lasted a few days and they all needed some rest after. 

"So, how often do you actually end up doing that?", the woman asked curiously as they lounged in the media room with popcorn and ice cream. 

The Doctor didn't look up from where he was teaching Jade something too complicated for her to understand as he answered vaguely, "Oh, often enough" 

"More than twelve times a year", the little girl corrected and poked her father's arm gently, also without looking up, "She's not gonna leave, you know" 

And then Martha felt like she understood the Doctor just a bit more than yesterday. He was afraid of people going away. That others didn't like the life he lead and just up and left. She wondered how many times that had happened and decided she didn't want to know. The almost-a-doctor sat up more comfortably and stared at the alien pair. 

There was something very old about them. Ancient. And she supposed that was what happened when you lived as long as the Doctor had, or had such an odd life like Jade. 

She wondered about how long she'd be staying before time caught up and she'd have to leave anyway. She still needed to finish her exams and such. She didn't really want to wonder about that either, though. But Jade was right. She wouldn't leave because of something like this. Not because the Doctor was brilliant at saving and helping people. 

"I really like what you do. It's… right", she said, and turned back to watch the show she liked so she wouldn't have to explain herself further. 

She didn't really want to inflate the ego of the man too much. 

A day later found the Doctor almost absently giving her a key to the TARDIS. Martha knew better and grinned with happiness. The time travelers grinned back and asked where she'd like to go. 

xXXx

It had been around three weeks since Martha boarded the TARDIS and she was getting… homesick. Just a little. But she was. She didn't want to ask, though. For some reason she was still irrationally afraid the Doctor and Jade would disappear out of her life forever if she did. 

So it was a bit of a relief when the Doctor suggested it for her. To drop her off at her home for a day. 

Because Jade wanted to visit Melody and the Ponds for her birthday. And the Doctor needed to get something from somewhere he was better off exploring alone. The woman almost wanted to be insulted but then was explained that the alien planet's atmosphere had dangerous radiation for humans. Jade was mostly human. And he didn't want her anywhere near it. The birthday just happened to be a perfect excuse to check things out. 

"Here we go! Home. Half an hour after you left", the Doctor explained excitedly. 

"Just half an hour? It feels like ages", Martha wondered as she stepped outside and checked the time, the date, and the sky. It felt unreal. 

He hummed lightly and smiled, "We'll be back in twenty-four. But call Jade if we aren't. She always answers" 

Martha looked slightly alarmed, " _ If _ you aren't?" 

Jade popped her head out, "You  _ know _ how the TARDIS is. If we're not back exactly then, call. I'll tell you what's happening and you won't be left wondering", she gave her Dad an exasperated look for never seeming to accommodate linearly living people better, remembering being a week late for school once, "He has a habit of ignoring stuff like that" 

The Doctor huffed at her but smiled too, telling her in her mind he was glad she was there to remember stuff like this  _ for _ him. The little girl beamed up at him and disappeared into the TARDIS with a quick wave to Martha. Then they were off to get Jade to Melody's birthday party. 

xXXx

Of course things just had to go awry. Again. The Doctor got back for Jade only to find her glowing gold and white, relief flooding her face at the sight of him. Melody looked pale and the Ponds concerned. 

"I'll be careful", she promised with a slightly fearful expression. 

Then she disappeared, Skipping to who knew  _ where _ in space and time. He could have sworn her energy levels hadn't been high enough for a Skip. But the universe apparently had other ideas. His expression was pinched as he rushed back to the TARDIS, not noticing the family of three running after him. 

He had just locked on to the coordinates she'd jumped to, spinning around the console to fly straight there, when he noticed them. 

"What are you doing here!?", he exclaimed, "I'll get her, you can get out"

Amy Pond raised an unimpressed eyebrow, "And end Melody's birthday on such a distressing note? I don't think so" 

"She's my  _ sister _ ", Melody said forcefully, echoing Jade's sentiments and making the Doctor look up with frustrated fondness.  _ Humans _ . 

Rory seemed to be examining the console room curiously but his determination didn't waver under scrutiny. It seems he was stuck with this family, then. No matter. He nodded and started ordering them to push buttons and levers, dematerializing and going to rescue Jade from whatever trouble she had gotten to  _ now _ . 

xXXx

It was hot, it was metal, and she was damp with sweat in seconds. This wasn't any fun, at all. One of the stupidest Skips she'd been forced through, and that counted the one with Sontarans attacking Earth. Even if the 3rd Doctor and UNIT had been there to save the day, or so her Dad told her later when he came to get her. She'd almost gotten  _ shot _ . 

Jade took a deep breath and started looking around, fishing for flashes that gave her more of an idea of what to expect. How to survive. 

The spaceship was dimly lit and she seemed to be in a room with an escape pod. It had a tinted round window on both the side that faced the ship and the side that showed space outside. The space outside held a star they were way too close to. She blinked and felt time twisting and twirling into information that rushed through her head, leaving her to inhale sharply and decide it was time to start running for the command center. 

She  _ needed _ to find who was in charge, even as a sinking feeling settled into her stomach. Jade almost smashed to a door locking her away and stared at the keypad, wishing for a new flash that never came. Knowing the future was both a curse and a blessing, but sometimes she wondered if it was worth it either way. 

Her hands banged on the door. 

"Kath McDonnell!", she screamed at the top of her lungs, "Don't do it!" 

Someone opened up with a bewildered look in his eyes and she didn't recognize him as anyone from her flash. She ignored him and ran forward as fast as her short legs could carry, white hair bouncing behind her as she skidded around a corner to bang at another door she  _ knew _ lead to the command center. 

"Captain McDonnell! Stop it!  _ Don't do it! _ ", she was almost panicking now as that door too opened to reveal a bewildered Captain whose eyes narrowed on her. 

"Who are you, girl? How did you get on board?", she asked, authority clear in her tone and a hand waving at a crewmate to stand down. 

Jade gasped for breath, "Don't mine the sun.  _ Please! _ It's-" 

"Kath", someone's voice crackled through the comms, "The fusion scoop is ready" 

Indecision flashed on the woman's face for half a second but she ignored the little girl, opting to stick to her plan, "Start it up, then" 

Somewhere on the ship, a whirring noise started up and Jade was properly afraid now. She wanted to go home. She wanted  _ Dad _ here. She didn't want to be the one stuck in these situations where every decision counted and she  _ knew _ a very likely outcome. One that wasn't pretty. One that she couldn't stop. One she could only  _ try _ to stop. 

" _ No! _ Stop it, or Korwin will  _ die! _ ", she shouted, trying to make her see sense even if she was a stranger who appeared out of nowhere. 

This time she whirled around with disbelief and fear on her face but it quickly turned to anger. She ignored her and Jade could almost start crying because within seconds it would be too late. Way too late. She tried to calm her breathing even as someone grabbed her arm to try and calm her or take her away. Right then she couldn't tell. 

"The sun is alive", she stated, voice shaking, "Stop this. It's  _ screaming _ at you" 

But just as the woman seemed to start making  _ sense _ of the situation, Hal Korwin was on the comms again. This time he was screaming.  _ Burn with me. _ Jade's heart was in her throat and she felt her stomach drop. Her chin lowered as she went mostly limp in whoever's grip it was she got caught in. 

Too late. She was too late. 

The feeling was familiar and she  _ hated _ it. 

_ I don't want to be here _ , she thought as someone lead her away, people wanted answers, and Kath barked desperate orders to her people. 

xXXx

The TARDIS materialized on a spaceship. It was getting a little old, to be honest. But clearly there was something wrong there since everything was burning hot. 

"This is like a sauna", Amy said, stepping out with furrowed brows, "How long has Jade been in this heat?" 

That's what the Doctor didn't really want to think about. He just needed to  _ find _ her. Soon. 

_ 'Jade!' _ , he called out telepathically, sure she would pick it up if she wasn't thoroughly distracted. Or unconscious. 

_ '...Dad' _ , the reply was weak and sad and urgent. Distracted. 

Not the best, not the worst. He could work with that. Immediately the two traded information on their locations and the Doctor was just a  _ little _ concerned to hear they'd locked her in a room to interrogate her. Not harshly, but she was being  _ interrogated _ . That was cause for worry. 

"Doctor. Where is she?", Rory asked worriedly, hand on Melody's shoulder. 

"Pressed for answers", he replied shortly and started a brisk walk towards the door. 

The family followed him closely, towards the last member of their family who was currently under duress. 

xXXx

Jade stared ahead blankly, not sure what she could do anymore. No other flashes had been forthcoming since the first and all the other information she gained from that one wasn't very useful to divulge here. She'd already told them everything she knew of the situation and could reasonably say without outright risking lives. Other lives. 

It was another matter whether they believed her or not. 

Right now, Jade was inclined to think they didn't and felt helpless, lost, and angry at people for not  _ listening _ . She may be a child but she  _ knew things _ . She knew what she was talking about. 

"Jade. Please, just tell me the  _ truth _ here", Erina, a technician, pleaded, "We won't blame you for sneaking aboard but you have to tell us how you managed to hide so long" 

"I  _ told you _ I just appeared here", the girl reminded her uselessly, knowing she'd be taken for a liar, "It happens" 

Erina sighed in defeat and left her with a bottle of water, telling her they were handling the situation and would get her back home. Jade  _ did _ want to get home but she knew the crew couldn't take her there. Besides, her Dad was already here and so was home. Now she just had to focus on keeping them and everyone else alive. Keep the ship from burning with the sun. 

...If she could get out of this room first. Electric locks couldn't be opened by telekinesis alone. 

She didn't know how she'd gotten out in the flash. Just that she  _ had _ . But then after that she only had some snippets of things, of happenings that were very likely to happen. Of other things that might happen if she didn't say or do something. It was a lot hanging on unknowns this time and she wasn't sure what it meant but she didn't like it. 

The door opened and Kath McDonnell marched in with a haggard look in her eyes, dropping down to her level and grabbing her shoulders none too gently. 

"You said the sun was alive and using the fusion scoop would make Korwin die. You  _ knew _ ", she was desperate and her fingers dug into Jade's shoulders more harshly, "He's in the med-center, in pain, and with high fever. How do I  _ fix _ this? What else do you know? He's my  _ husband! _ " 

The little girl swallowed the lump in her throat, eyes burning and she  _ didn't need to think that _ . Not in this situation. Tears pricking at her eyes was nowhere near  _ burning _ . She took a shaky breath and felt a high pitched whine of distress climb out her throat and manifesting into words. 

"I'm s-  _ sorry…! _ ", her voice broke, "He's- He's dying and you  _ have to _ keep him away from others so they don't burn too" 

Kath's eyes were shining with unshed tears as she released her shoulders before she caused bruises. She had deflated a little but was undecided on whether or not to follow her advice. Jade hated that hesitation. If it had gone away just a little quicker Korwin might have survived. The Captain got her emotions under control and rose to face a man running to them, calling for her. 

"There's more people here who claim to have appeared out of nowhere!", he shouted, "The kid is apparently theirs" 

For once the decision seemed to be easily made as Kath looked to the girl once and told her to follow. She did. And hoped. Really,  _ really _ hoped her Dad could get people to  _ listen _ . Like he usually did. Could. Because he looked like an adult.  _ Was _ an adult. And she didn't want to deal with things like these alone anymore. She doubted he did either. But that's why they took care of each other and had companions to help. 

That thought felt like it belonged to some other place and time but Rina told her to focus so she did. 

"Jade!", Melody called out and her eyes immediately locked onto her family.  _ Both _ of her families. 

Her lips quirked up weakly and she rushed over to her Dad who quickly looked her over critically. Watching for any pain. For any discomfort. In the end her eyes said what was the thing that  _ really _ hurt her and his softened for a second, hand caressing her cheek before he turned to Kath. Asking her what was going on on the ship, voice sharp and in control. Melody grabbed the younger girl into a hug and Jade distantly felt another Pond ruffle her white hair gently. 

The little girl felt some of the tension slide out to be replaced with confidence. In her family. In their ability to make things right and  _ keep _ them from going more wrong. 

"You got the skipping rope?", she whispered, eyes closed as she enjoyed her sister's warm feelings and concern faintly at the edge of her senses. Away from the panic and building stress. 

Melody hummed in agreement and curiosity. Jade sighed in relief and told her to attach the end to a big magnet Rory would find in the medical ward. Saying she wasn't certain why but that it was important. Then she leaned back, turning to see the Doctor finish up getting the basics of the situation. There was a tingling sensation that started at the nape of her neck and she drew in a sharp breath. 

"Dad", her voice was slightly panicky and he turned to see her glow starting up again. 

"Oh, no no no no", he was by her side in an instant, "How- No, not important. We'll be fine and I'll get to you soon, stay safe, don't take risks. Alright?" 

Jade nodded, filled with fear and sadness at the thought of leaving them  _ alone _ to deal with things. Of being stranded again. Away from  _ home _ . 

She still babbled out advice, "D- Don't let  _ anyone _ look straight at the sun", she sniffled and looked to Rory, "Get out when he moves. And Amy, it's Elvis" 

"We'll find you", Melody promised, looking determined, distressed, annoyed, but still resigned to this. 

The younger girl nodded, turning sharply to the Doctor as she remembered one last bit of important information, "He burns others with-!" 

And then she was gone. It was jarring. From burning hot to whirling and dizzying white and gold to what felt like freezing air. She stumbled to the ground, grassy and damp, unable contain the overwhelming emotions inside her any longer. The girl felt a tear slip past her defences as she wrapped her arms around herself, grateful that she hadn't abandoned her jumper in the mess and heat. 

"...his eyes", she whispered, letting it get lost in the wind, instead opting to curl into a ball to hide from the cold both outside and inside her. 

She hoped her hasty advice held strong. That Ashton wouldn't die, and Abi wouldn't either, or Erina. 

She wished her family would find her soon. 

She knew without a shadow of doubt that they would be okay. 

And maybe she could live with the first two not happening if she could have the last one always be true. Even if it would be horrible to not have saved the others, to be stuck here in the cold, she could survive that. Jade didn't want to think about what would happen to her if she ever lost her family. 

xXXx

On SS Pentallian things started to move quickly. A countdown was telling how much time there was before they hit the sun. The Doctor established a semblance of authority to their group, mostly because Jade's disappearance gave much more credence to her appearing the same way. That, and a crisis situation where he seemed to have the most knowledge. He started asking what his daughter had been doing or saying here since her actions usually left the biggest clues to solving a problem. Rory left for the medbay to help identify what in the world happened to Korwin. 

The Captain seemed frazzled and slightly cagey, coming to grips with losing her husband but not willing to let go of hope. She ordered people about, distractedly answering questions. 

It was Riley Vashtee, the Pilot, who gave the most crucial piece of information. Jade had said the sun was alive. And they had used a  _ fusion scoop _ . It was a grim statement veiled with guilt. He wouldn't say there wasn't any accusations there either. Then the comms flared to life.

" _ Doctor, Hal Korwin attacked us. We're not hurt but the med-center needs to get sealed _ ", he said calmly through the comms, " _ His temperature is off the charts. My first assumption was infection but now I'm leaning towards something more invasive. It looked like possession _ " 

No one was too sure of how to interpret that. The Doctor interrupted Kath's attempt to confirm things with Abi Lerner, the Medical Officer, and urgently told them to seal it someway, somehow before focusing everyone's attention on the problem at hand. He was a bit impressed at Rory getting into contact with him so soon after learning something new. This also confirmed Amy and Melody's stories of him being a  _ very good _ doctor. Great in a crisis. Could keep his head. 

"We need activate the auxiliary engines", the Doctor commanded. 

"I don't know if we'll get there in time", Orin Scannell said sceptically, "The control panel is at the front of the ship behind 29 deadlocked doors" 

The Time Lord exhaled harshly, "Best get to work, then. Passwords. Who knows the passwords?"

"They're randomly generated. But I know most of 'em", Riley said, grabbing some gear, "I'll do it. But it's a two person job to get things going"

"Doctor, I'll go. You stay here to fix things", Amy said quickly, turning to her daughter, "Melody, pick one and stick like glue" 

The girl seemed to hesitate for a second before pointing at the Doctor, who looked between them in slight bewilderment and alarm. Amy sent a stern look his way. 

"You're hired", and then she hurried after Riley, trusting the Doctor with the responsibility of her child. 

He almost spluttered at the audacity but figured that was fair. In fact, he was slightly amused at having his actions turned on him by the redhead. And flattered she trusted him that much. The daughter told her mother to be careful and got a careless hand wave in response. She huffed after her parent before ambling over to her Uncle Doctor, obeying the 'stick like glue' order. 

Ashton sighed, addressing Kath, "I can look after things here. You go check on Korwin" 

The Doctor looked him over and nodded, glancing at Melody. 

"You up for visiting your father?", he asked. 

She grinned weakly, "You bet" 

And they were off. The computer said there was only 39 minutes until impact. Even with that, their biggest worry didn't seem to center around the ship and its crash course. No, it was the white haired little miracle sent to fare for herself in an unknown place at an unknown time. 

xXXx

Jade opened her eyes to a snout. A white snout. With a black little nose that bumped into her forehead abruptly. She let out a surprised squeak and leaned back. The sheep jumped back along with her, running away in fright. It didn't go far, stopping a ways away and watching the other sheep surrounding her. She was in the middle of a small sheep herd and couldn't keep the smile from her lips. 

They were cute. Adorable. And a great distraction. 

Another one dared get closer and she let it sniff her, poke her, and carefully lifted a hand up to pet its fur. She projected warm intent as best as she could and to her relief the sheep stayed still as she gently carded through the thick and slightly scratchy feeling fur. It was full of curls and reminded her of her own hair. She giggled quietly at the thought of having woolen hair, continuing to pet the animal until it shifted away and out of her reach. 

That in turn made her finally look at her surroundings. It was a… meadow? A wild meadow with clouds lipping at it, slowly flowing over the high grass like white mist. The sun was high up but didn't offer too much warmth from the winds. She was high up, the air felt thin. 

A mountain. She must be on top of a mountain. With sheep. And no one else in sight. Except a few lonely trees the wind had stunted and forced to grow into crooked positions. 

It… wasn't great. She had no warmer clothes on her and her violet pants were already wet from the mud and grass. 

Slowly, she stood to get her bearings more clearly and noticed smoke rising from maybe a few miles South. If she could actually tell where South was. Her skills on that weren't perfect at the moment. The girl hadn't  _ needed _ it when on alien planets and the TARDIS providing her directions but this was clearly Earth. And she was alone. She checked the sun, which was relatively low but going up, and decided she had enough time to reach the place with smoke before dark. Jade took a breath, let it out, and started walking. 

Hopefully whoever had made that fire had food too… 

xXXx

" _ Korwin escaped the med-center! I repeat, Korwin escaped the med-center! _ ", Abi Lerner informed through the comms, voice shaky, " _ He can vaporize things with his eyes _ " 

Everyone was shocked and Melody immediately wanted to know where her father was. The Doctor and her ran the rest of the way to the med bay and were immeasurably relieved to find Rory coming out through a destroyed med bay door, a round disk in his hands. He saw them coming and gave the heavy-ish disk to his daughter. 

"This functions like a very strong magnet", he explained with a smile, "Jade said I'd find it, didn't she?" 

Melody smiled, taking out her skipping rope and tying the end to the handle in the middle of it. She didn't know why one was in a med-center, though. The Doctor looked between them thoughtfully before Amy's voice blared through the comms. 

" _ Amy to Doctor. Math is your thing. What comes after three one three, three three one, and three six seven? _ " 

"Three seven nine!", he called back. 

" _ Thanks. We're opening door 28 _ "

And they cut off. At least they were making progress. It had only been a minute or so since they left. 

xXXx

The next door had a question about Elvis Presley and the Beatles. Classical music, apparently. Riley sent the redhead a disbelieving look. 

"That kid can  _ actually _ see the future", he said, shocked. 

Amy just smirked and entered the name to the door that opened easily enough. 

xXXx

Jade was hungry, cold, and tired. She'd been walking for what felt like hours and probably  _ was _ hours. The sun was high up and gave just enough warmth for her back to actually not shiver in the wind. The part of her in shadows wasn't that lucky and the wind wasn't helping anything. She felt like the only thing that kept her going right then was the smoke that promised people. 

It felt like another hour or so before she had climbed over the hill that was like a mountain on top of a mountain before she saw the camp someone had made. Only one person sat next to it with warm clothes and fish frying on it. She sighed in relief and forced herself to walk the last fifteen minutes to reach them. 

"Hello?", she asked experimentally, wincing at her rasping voice. 

The hooded figure's head snapped up to look at her, eyes widening in shock. 

"Uh", Jade shifted uncomfortably in the face of a flood of negative emotions, "Is… it okay if I sit here?" 

"Jade of the Stars", the woman said in a very familiar voice, making Jade gasp. 

She searched the familiar chin, looking into brown eyes and fair features. There was recognition in them. And contempt. And gratefulness. And a mess of everything rolled into a bitter pile of emotions. There was no  _ familiarity _ . 

Jade gaped at her, "A- Ashley?" 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dun, dun, daaaaaa! 
> 
> Oh, and sorry for the kinda cliffhanger. I've been writing this for two weeks and don't want to deprive you of the story for too long. The next half might come out sooner or later depending on how lazy I am while writing, how much school will bother me, and how much my sleep schedule is suffering. 
> 
> Until then, thanks for reading and I hope you're doing well!


	8. Family Mission to Old Norway

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Operation Let's-Not-Crash-Into-the-Sun-So-We-Can-Keep-Looking-For-Our-Wayward-Daughter continues its designated path.

Erina had been getting equipment. She'd heard the comms and tried hurrying back. She really did try. But… She wasn't fast enough. 

" _ Burn with me! _ ", and whatever was possessing Korwin placed his hands to her head. 

And she  _ screamed _ . 

xXXx

The lookalike of Ashley Mildew looked at her oddly before opening her mouth. It wasn't English. Of course it wasn't this was… whatever century. Maybe 8th? Or 11th? It was somewhere in-between that. Her sense of time wasn't the best yet. At all. 

She couldn't tell what the woman was saying. How had she known Ashley said 'Jade of the Stars'? …It had felt familiar, like a flash, so maybe she shouldn't be worrying about it. 

It took Jade a few moments to realize it was Old Norse and feel relieved that Norse at least was a language she knew. Old Norse was also something she'd dabbled in, mostly because she found their runes interesting. 

"I can't understand", she intoned as clearly as her scratchy throat could, "Can you, uh… speak slower?" 

The woman frowned at her, confused, but complied, "Thou art not how I remember thee would be like" 

"You, er,  _ Thee _ must have seen… I of… future", Jade said tentatively, searching for words, "Are you… Art thee Ashley?" 

What she wouldn't do to have the TARDIS here for translation right now… But then, this here was why she had even started learning things herself. Skipping gave the added difficulty of language barriers. 

"Nae", the woman denied, wary, slightly insulted, "I am Ashildr" 

Jade nodded slowly, thoughtful. Ashley Mildew was Ashildr. Okay. That was… shocking is what it was. Ash was always welcoming and kind. This one… wasn't. It felt… weird. To see someone who didn't truly know you, yet you knew them but not  _ this _ them. It was times like these that reminded her how weird time travel was. 

Her stomach growled and she was reminded of why she'd come here. Her eyes dropped to the frying fish longingly. 

Ashildr, despite the slight animosity coming off of her, offered her a stick with one of them. 

Jade brightened up, smiling gratefully and taking it gently into her hands. It seemed to break the ice a little and she got a small little smile in return. 

At least expressions were mostly universal. 

xXXx

Amy whirled around as she heard the clang of a door opening behind them. They'd reached Area 17 where Riley's portable computer started showing its cheapness by slowing to an almost standstill. Things were getting hotter even this far away from the vents and smoke came through the door to Area 18. 

It was a lithe figure, female, with a polaroid visored helmet. Erina. Her hand rose slowly to lift the visor. 

The redhead reacted first, pulling Riley with him to nearest cover, "C'mon, c'mon!"

"But- It's just Erin-!" 

"It's  _ not her _ anymore!", Amy said back, closing the door behind them just as a blinding light and heat hit through the window, leaving a bleached mark to the ceiling. 

Riley was pale as a ghost as he reached for the comms, "Korwin converted Erina-" 

xXXx

" _ -and we're stuck in the Area 17 escape pod _ " 

Dev Ashton cursed as he realized his trainee wouldn't be coming back with any equipment. She wouldn't be coming back  _ period _ . He'd have to get things himself. Mourn the loss later, do the job now. He rushed out the door and looked to the side just in time to see Korwin walking towards him. Another pang of  _ loss _ and slight disbelief over the situation made him freeze. 

"Move, you idiot!", and suddenly he could do so again, retreating as quickly as he could behind a door even as his Captain, Scannell, and one of the strangers made another door slam to Korwin's face. 

"Ashton", McDonnell seemed relieved he was fine even as her gaze read sorrow as she looked at the door, "Go help Lerner" 

Slightly shaken but okay, he replied and started moving, "Roger that" 

And he left, just about hearing the conversation behind him. Something about Kath wanting to talk to her husband. And the strangers not stopping her but cautioning that he was already gone. Like Erina. He closed his eyes just for a moment, suddenly understanding that he'd almost died too. Then he put that to the side and went to see what Abi needed help with. 

xXXx

Rory watched with sorrowful eyes as Kath tried to communicate with her possessed husband and got one of the worst replies to go through.  _ This is your fault. _ The accusation reverberated through the comms she'd been using to talk through the door. A compassionate man, he gently touched her shoulder even as she gave the order to execute her husband's already dead form by freezing him. 

Scannell obeyed and they listened silently as Korwin was frozen, the heat forcibly snuffed out before he could harm any more people. 

There was a moment of silence before Rory decided it was time to get back and find the Doctor and his daughter so they could go free his own wife. The engines needed to be repaired too. Scannell needed to get on to that. 

He'd been needed here as a doctor's verdict on whether or not Korwin could be saved and as moral support. The Doctor and Melody were getting to Amy and Riley who were still stuck in an escape pod. 

Suddenly Amy's voice came through the comms again, " _ She's trying to jettison us! Riley's keeping her back but there's apparently an override she can get access to so hurry up! _ " 

And Rory was now much more focused on running to where his family was, ignoring the others. Even if the Doctor would certainly get there first he  _ would _ be there if his help was needed. No exceptions. 

xXXx

Ashildr was quiet. Jade had spent the night with her and the next morning she'd decreed that they had to travel further. She didn't argue as the woman was most likely the only person for miles around them. And she held some kind of grudge or animosity towards Jade. Or at least Jade's older self. It was… disheartening. 

Jade was too afraid to ask. So they spent the day mostly quiet, hiking ahead and away from… something. Ashildr seemed to be fleeing from something. 

Sorrow. That was the feeling that permeated the air around the woman. It felt suffocating and Jade felt her own worries slip past her defences every now and then. She wasn't sure how long they'd been traveling and they went further and further away from where she'd appeared. How would her Dad find her? 

Why wasn't he here already? This was something he took seriously and the TARDIS usually appeared within seconds, minutes, or hours of her Skipping. 

A day was already gone. 

So she worried. And worried. And glanced back periodically. 

Ashildr stopped, "Why art thou so uneased?" 

Jade looked up and found… concern in her brown eyes. It was slight but it was there. Curiosity too. 

"My… family", she started in halting Old Norse that was mixed with the modern Norse, "We, um, got separated. They art doing in- uh,  _ being _ in a danger place" 

There was an uncomfortable pause as they regarded each other. 

"They art going to alright it", Jade decided firmly. 

This time the pause was shorter and got broken by Ashildr's snort of laughter. Immediately the little girl was confused. 

"What?", she asked, not knowing if she should be concerned or offended. 

"Thouse wordings!", Ashildr laughed, "They art so strange!" 

Jade was immediately a little bit hurt before she reminded herself that Ashildr probably didn't know more than one language. And that the last time she met her she'd  _ probably _ had much translation help from the TARDIS. Then she smiled because this was good. The woman's emotions had eased a little. 

"It is not fault of me!", Jade remarked, just the littlest bit offended, "I art-, no, am not knowing of this right wordings" 

"Thou art right. Do not worry, I shall teach thee the right words", Ashildr promised with a shadow of intrigue in her stance. 

It made her grief and sorrow recede. And Jade noted her own emotions weren't as all over the place anymore either. This, it seemed, was a good distraction for both of them. 

xXXx

Abi Lerner was  _ not _ an engineer. She knew medicine and knew it well but her engineering skills were limited to the few courses she'd gotten before getting onboard a ship. Scannell had told her what to look for and how to do some of the less complicated things with instructions to the complicated but it was very slow going. So when Ashton walked in she was very relieved. 

"Here, Scannell said to reroute the generator through this", she gave him the instructions the man quickly worked through and leaned over to assist her. 

His hands were shaking. The medical officer frowned and quickly looked Ashton over. He seemed to be in slight shock. 

There was no time to address it. The computer said twenty minutes until impact. So Abi gently told him to breathe through it. He did, long used to listening to her. 

"Guide me through this. I'll be your hands", she said and he smiled slightly. 

Together they got to work. 

They didn't notice Erina walking around the corner. 

xXXx

Amy Pond wasn't particularly fond of floating in space in an escape pod that just happened to be heading towards a sun. She also wasn't that worried about said predicament as her family was already working to get them back. She could see the Doctor in a spacesuit and opening the airlock. 

"See, I told you he'd save us", the woman told her more sceptical temporary roommate. 

The man rose to watch with her and frowned at the round object in the Doctor's hands, "What's that?" 

Amy squinted. The Doctor threw the disk towards them. It sailed to the side of the pod and attached itself there. The pod floated to a stop. Then jerked as a line attached to the disk that was  _ definitely _ a magnet was pulled. Amy started snickering. 

"It's a- It's a magnet attached to a skipping rope!", she laughed as they were pulled towards safety. 

Riley stared at her like she was mad, "...What's a  _ skipping rope _ ?" 

xXXx

"Erina! I'm the one you want!", McDonnell shouted at the girl about to go in through a door to murder two of her crewmates. 

She turned slowly. Deliberately. McDonnell waited as she raised a hand to her visor, then started running. Just in time. The hallway behind her radiated heat. She lead the possessed girl towards the stasis chamber and somehow she and Scannell managed to trick her in it. 

They activated the freezing effect. Neither of them cried even as they definitely wanted to. 

xXXx

Jade was definitely worried. She'd been with Ashley for a week already. The what ifs of her own creation didn't help any and no flashes were forthcoming to comfort her. Only distractions were conversations with her slightly unwilling traveling partner, learning Old Norse, and the beautiful scenery. 

"Ashildr?", she asked, looking for yet another distraction since she couldn't actually  _ do _ anything yet. 

The two Skips had definitely depleted the excess amounts of energy she had so she couldn't try that either. Not that she could have left even if she had been able to. Ashildr was clearly lonely, alone, and full of sorrow. She  _ couldn't _ leave her like this. 

But she needed a new distraction. 

"Jade of the Stars", was the ever cool reply. 

"I wish to teach you  _ my _ language. English", she explained. 

It seemed Ashildr was also looking for a way out of her worries since she easily accepted. 

xXXx

SS Pentallian was drifting away from the living sun, crew exhausted and grieving for their two lost members. The Doctor and the Ponds were checking on the last things and waited for the ventilation system to get cooler so they could go back to looking for Jade. All of them were anxious to leave. All of the crew was wishing them luck. 

McDonnell stopped them just as they were about to step back into the TARDIS, "Hey, tell her… Tell her we're grateful she tried. That she saved us" 

The Doctor quirked a little smile, "Yeah, will do" 

And they climbed aboard to find a lock on their wayward daughter's location. It didn't take  _ too _ long. Half an hour wasn't that much. But it was still longer than they thought it should be. Then it was time to set the TARDIS in motion. 

For some reason materializing took a bit more effort than usual. 

The Doctor was frowning at the readings, "This is the North Pole" 

Melody was frowning too, "Jade was only wearing a jumper" 

Everyone exchanged glances before rushing off to get some warm clothing. They stepped outside to freezing cold air… and gunfire. And a running figure in a white jacket. 

"Dad, you're just in time!", a young woman's voice called out and they took a double take at an  _ older _ Jade as she ran past them and into the TARDIS. 

Gunfire followed and the Doctor ordered everyone inside. The doors slammed shut behind them and they watched in bemusement as Jade flipped a switch to get a locker open, took something, closed it and ran to a piece of clothing thrown over a reiling. She took that and basically puttered around finding random things and piling them into a familiar and clearly worn backpack. 

The Doctor pieced things together and marched over, picking a tool from her hand, "You don't want this one. It's broken" 

"Is it?", Jade leaned in to see more clearly and deflated, "Oh. I need something else to conduct the energy wave, then" 

She started mumbling techno-nonsense and the Doctor corrected her at times, fiddling with the thing in his hands. Then he cheerfully put a now fixed mechanical part in her backpack, earning a quick hug. Jade was already running towards the door when she stopped and whirled around. 

"Future you and I can handle things here", she pointed at the Doctor accusingly, "Don't follow" 

"What's even happening?", he asked. 

"A battle that can be stopped. Wait, where were you last?", she turned to the Ponds with a frown, as if trying to remember something. 

Amy smiled warmly, "SS Pentallian. Younger you Skipped again" 

"Oh, right! Then I've got something", Jade grinned and dug into her backpack again, pulling out a familiar and very new looking leather book that she tossed to the Doctor. 

He caught it easily with a raised eyebrow, "What's this?" 

"Temporal shenanigans journal and coordinates to younger me. She's safe" 

And older Jade was out the door and rushing back through the snow and ice. Most likely to an older him. The Doctor stared after her with a mixture of unnamed emotions. 

"...This happens  _ that _ often?", he asked the air. 

Melody pulled out her Notes even as the elder Ponds dotted things down in theirs. They had calmed considerably at older Jade's affirmation. The Doctor stared at the proof with a resigned air and slight horror.  _ This _ was what truly struck home how complicated a mess his daughter's timeline was. 

He opened the book and chuckled at the words of consolation said daughter had written on the first page, followed by coordinates he immediately punched in. They were overdue in finding the young Jade. 

xXXx

Two weeks into their journey had them find a village. A small village under a mountain and next to a river. They were treated with suspicion because they were outsiders… and because Jade had dark skin and dark hair. 

It was the first time Ashildr rose to her defence, telling gawkers to go away and shielding her from view with her own body and a cloak dropped over her head. 

Jade was grateful. And worried. Because there was such bitterness rolling off her friend when she looked around the village. She didn't know what to do about it. What had happened to her? 

Then she saw someone by the river and her heart skipped a beat. 

She stepped closer, confirming her thoughts, and then ran. The woman sitting there repairing a boat turned at the sound of her footsteps and smiled. She welcomed the tackle hug with a laugh, patting her head. 

"Hello, Lil' Gem", was the by now familiar greeting. 

Jade lifted her face from the woman's stomach to see her face, "You're Melody, aren't you?" 

She grinned, "I go by River Song now" 

"And you're sitting by the river", Jade accused with a grin of her own. 

River shrugged, "I'm just going with the flow, Sis" 

The smaller girl groaned playfully at the pun. Then she turned to look at Ashildr who was watching them with clear confusion on her face. River smiled, welcoming. 

"Ashie! I knew you'd come here eventually! I've got us a boat" 

Ashildr frowned, "I don't know you" 

"No", River agreed, or disagreed depending on the point of view, "You don't know me yet" 

Jade was jealous. Her Old Norse was perfect. Or then she had a portable translator the smaller girl wasn't aware of. 

"Why should I trust you then?" 

River smiled, let go of Jade, and whispered something into the other woman's ear. Ashildr's eyes widened and turned to her in shock, glancing between her and Jade with surprise. Then she took a deep breath and let it out slowly. 

"Alright. We'll come" 

And thus the two travelers became three. 

xXXx

Ashildr wasn't sure what was going on in her life anymore. For a time since she realized she didn't  _ age _ she'd wondered if she even  _ wanted _ to live. She wondered if she should curse the man and the woman who saved her that day or love them for giving her this chance. When she first left her village, shaking with grief and love, she was sure it was a curse. 

Then she met a young child who looked exactly like the woman she had seen that day, only much younger. Jade of the Stars. The woman had told her she'd meet the child. Herself. 

For a time, Ashildr didn't know how to act around the little girl who would become  _ that woman _ . A woman who said she was a friend but gave her this curse, this blessing that wasn't. But days went by and she realized they weren't the same person yet. They were a  _ child _ . She wondered if there was any choice in her becoming immortal if the girl had known Ashildr from such a young age. If things were inevitable. 

Both of them had much riding on their shoulders on their trek through the mountains, away from home. And Ashildr found she didn't mind Jade's presence. It was a relief to the loneliness that had plagued her since she left. Since  _ before _ she left. 

They taught each other things they didn't know before. They kept their distance but still became closer. 

And then two weeks passed and they found this… other woman. River Song. Who knew the  _ exact words _ Jade from the future had told her on that fateful day. These two were odd and special and they acted like long lost friends. Best friends. Sisters. They were magnificent and far away in a way she hadn't felt before. Hadn't seen before. 

Then, after traveling with them both for three months, getting to the seashore and seeing the waves and how they built a _ ship _ by themselves… 

Ashildr realized… She'd  _ become _ like them. And maybe she didn't have her village anymore but she did have this  _ new _ thing. These new people who were helping her. Who were  _ like _ her. They didn't seem to belong anywhere but could go everywhere. Even the sky wasn't the limit anymore, as Jade had said once. 

She allowed herself a smile. River caught it and smiled back, reassuring. Telling her it would be okay, even if she wasn't fully human. 

Jade ran up to hug her and she laughed, petting the child's head and whispering in English to get her to smile. 

Maybe, just maybe… she would be alright. 

xXXx

Jade watched as River and Ashie disappeared to the horizon on the ship they built together. Easily operated by two, durable on the seas, and their home for the past two months they'd been building it. It would be her friends' home for the next however many days too as they sailed. She herself was left behind to wait. 

_ Not long _ , she told herself,  _ River said it wouldn't take long _ . 

And true to that prediction she heard the much missed wheezing hum of the TARDIS behind her. She began to smile, then grin, then laugh in excitement. The horizon and the ship there was forgotten in favor of seeing that familiar blue police phone call box materializing on the beach. 

Her Dad stepped out, harried and tired, but brightening immediately upon seeing her. 

"Jade!", he called out over the wind and she was already running towards him, "Oh, I'm so glad you're alright. How long did you wait?" 

She just buried her laughs into his chest, worries from days long past bubbling into nothingness. He'd have to sit in suspense for a bit, though. She was too busy enjoying the hug. The Ponds were moving in too, Melody attaching herself to Jade's side, Rory ruffling her hair, Amy hugging the stuffing out of everyone. 

The Doctor quickly put a stop to it, not wanting to get so crowded right then. He pulled away to stare at Jade suspiciously. 

"You're older", he stated with slowly building dread. 

"I am", Jade said with a big smile, "And I had  _ so much _ fun. I learned to build a  _ ship! _ A wooden ship!" 

The dread evaporated, replaced with surprise and confusion, "How long, Jade? And from whom?" 

"Eh, my 10th birthday is tomorrow", she said brightly. 

Everyone stared at her in shock. The Doctor looked very conflicted. 

"You've been here for five months. Future you gave me coordinates to  _ five months  _ after you Skipped", he muttered. 

Jade stared at him for a second before digging out Plot Twist and writing  _ that _ bit of info down. The Doctor groaned at the sight of it. The Ponds were starting to see some humor in this situation and started laughing. Melody was excitedly pointing out that their birthdays were  _ so close _ to each other and asking what she'd been doing. Jade told them that she'd been with her future friends most of the time but was glad to be home now. 

They bundled back into the TARDIS and told both sides of the stories, mindful of future spoilers as Melody had dubbed them. 

All in all, it was everyday life as a time traveling family. 

xXXx

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes! I got the rest of this adventure out. Things are just a bit different yet again. Who saw Ashildr coming? I hinted at it with the name Ashley and 'familiar feeling' thing... Also, River seems to pop up everywhere. Maybe that should be toned down a little. 
> 
> Time shenanigans. I am so glad I put that in the summary because WOW, I didn't know you could fit so many into one adventure. Or into so many adventures in general. Jade's timeline is a mess and River's matches that, apparently. Everyone else has just gotten pulled in. 
> 
> Thanks for reading and for all the faves and follows and reviews so far! They're often what keeps inspiration ahead of writer's block. 
> 
> That said, no idea when the next chapter is coming through. I'll need to plan it first, after all. I'll try to keep it within the month so come knocking if it takes more than that.


	9. Oceans and Dolphins

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Picking up Martha, settling some things, and an ocean planet.

Martha was slightly worried as she waited for the exact minute twenty-four hours had passed since she'd seen her alien friends. She fingered the buttons on her phone and debated calling them but decided, once again, against it. The time hadn't passed yet. 

She'd forgotten how exhausting her family could be. The last day had driven home that she could really use breaks from them more often. Her bag was next to her on the couch and her eyes were drawn to it again and again as she contemplated her situation. Minutes went by and she shifted to see how seconds ticked towards the time the TARDIS should appear. 

On the dot, a familiar wheezing sound echoed in her living room and she breathed a sigh of relief. 

Jade poked her head out, eyes lighting up as she laid eyes on her. Like she'd missed her. Martha smiled and rose to open up her arms, expecting the impact as the little girl barreled into her. 

"It's so good to see you again!", the little girl breathed out in a rush. 

The Doctor ambled out at a more sedate pace and watched them with a smile. Martha laughed and pet Jade's poofy white hair that… seemed longer than before? Her expression shifted into a suspicious frown. 

"Wait. How long were you gone?", she asked. 

The time travelers looked to each other before turning back to her. 

"It depends", said the Doctor slowly. 

Martha's eyes narrowed further, "On what?" 

"On who you ask", he elaborated. 

She waited for him to continue. He didn't. She turned to Jade and stared her into submission. The little girl sighed. 

"He's had around two weeks since he saw you last and I've been gone for five months", she reported. 

"Five months", Martha repeated flatly, "What happened?" 

"Oh, just. Come on! We'll have time to catch up in the TARDIS. Pack up and get in!", the Doctor lost his patience with the conversation, unwilling to discuss the situation right then. 

A sharp turn and a few steps and he was already in the time machine. 

Jade looked after him and shrugged apologetically, "I got Skipped twice. It was fine. I met up with some friends", and then she too stepped back into her home, beckoning for her to follow. 

Martha took a few moments to process this new development before huffing in incredulous amusement and picking up her things. She followed them, unable to be mad. The woman was looking forward to future adventures. 

xXXx

"So you want to stay for a week, then go home to pass your exams, and get back on board?", the Doctor questioned absently, looking at readings and things to once again try to understand what was happening with Jade's biology. 

"Yeah, that's about right", Martha said happily, leaning against a reiling, "Like I'd say no to a vacation like this" 

Jade hummed agreeably, not looking up from her writing as she tried to piece together her own timeline. Future and otherwise. She had a feeling she'd need to know it pretty well to get anywhere and not accidentally break something. The Doctor was now bragging something about being able to make the best boring normal human vacations look like nothing. As if they didn't already know that. 

"Your arranged vacations tend to shift towards chaos", she said at one point, feeling fuzzy at the mock offended gasp her Dad made. She'd missed him. A lot. 

Martha picked up on her teasing, needling him about a 'must-not-charge-fossils' trip where he broke the state's currency monopoly just by going to visit the amusement park. That had been a fun adventure where no one got killed. The reminder of this, of course, ignited the sparks of an offended need to prove himself correct. Which meant a vacation. An actual vacation. 

The girls bumped fists in victory behind his back. 

xXXx

After the week of traveling in space without too many incidents Martha was to return home. Jade and the Doctor would travel on their own for a while. There was a trip to a rainbow beach, some event Jade  _ and _ the Doctor had never heard about (it ended in awed disgust and a need to prank a jerk), lessons on fixing things up… Jade could now comfortably say that she had the knowledge to build a solar energy based moving vehicle that had a  _ chance _ of working properly. 

They went to a hike in a forest that an outsider from earth could tentatively call magical. It let them meet tree people. The Doctor was invited to the palace of Cheem where Jade met a tree called Jabe and immediately connected the dots to something Addie had said. She was more curious than ever but kept her mouth shut. Jabe, on the other hand, described how the Doctor had taken an interest in her the moment he heard her name, asking her to travel with him and having to decline. Then how he started showing up and taking her on trips until someone finally asked if he was courting her. 

Jade laughed a little and the Doctor grumbled. He diverted the story to the adventures which left them both captivated and let him escape embarrassing stories. It was a good day. 

Martha called them from time to time to make  _ sure _ they were more or less in sync with her. It wasn't that big a deal in Jade's opinion and she told her so. The medical student was slowly accepting that no, it wasn't that big a deal when their lifespans were way too long compared to humans. She still insisted she wanted to be in sync just this once. 

And so, after a tour of some  _ very _ unique moons (they resembled pearls and formed different shapes in the sky each week, which made the local people assign superstitions to those. They solved an age old disappearance mystery) they headed to Earth to see Martha's graduation party thing. It was their first time meeting the Jones family and it went surprisingly well considering the Doctor's social awkwardness at times and Jade's shyness and youth. 

Luckily Martha seemed to have talked her family's ears off about them. No, not the alien part really. The traveling part yes. They pretended they'd went to Spain, which they had but different time period. The family was curious and willing to let Martha travel at times. Especially since someone had already expressed interest in hiring her as a medical officer with generous amounts of money and a load of freetime. The travel and research in new types of medicine were expected. 

It screamed 'too perfect' for the Doctor but Jade didn't find herself concerned. Martha was just happy to not have to choose between them and her job. 

xXXx

Martha's job required them to explore some medical procedures, medicines, and other health related subjects around the universe. All the while being mindful of time and 21st century's medical development. The Doctor was happy to explore places and Martha got to know alien biology at a lecture they snuck in on. Jade was fascinated to note many of the things sounded familiar, like an echo of things she should know. 

It was… weird. Rina told her not to worry about it, that it'd make sense later. 

That was okay. She trusted Rina. A lot. Like 'if you tell me to jump off a cliff without harness, I will' sort of trust. There was no way she would ever hurt her. Jade wasn't sure how she knew that, or why, but she did. 

Anyway, they let Martha research a lot of medicine. But they also took breaks and went on adventures. Sometimes one of them got an idea and it was go time. Other times Jade or Martha asked if this or that existed and the Doctor took them to see it for themselves. The universe was vast and beautiful. Really, there was nothing to compare it to other than vast in more than one sense. It felt infinite. 

Then came the day Jade told them about having learned how to swim while in Norway with her future friends. Which led to a realization that she wanted to try diving deeper. Because she'd heard people describing the world underwater a different, well, world and she wanted to see that. 

So the Doctor took them to a planet known for its beaches and ocean, with the occasional harsh storm that made living on the surface near impossible in places. There was a guy who knew diving inside out and they were going to see him. Nobody told them he was going to be half dolphin. As in, dorsal fin and beak with human limbs. 

Not that it mattered, he offered to teach them and had gear for humans and aliens alike. 

"This is exciting! I've not had anyone come to my  _ home _ to learn before! These waters aren't as calm as at the city", the dolphin man, Ticon, told them. 

They took a floating house, put the TARDIS there, and set out on the ocean to the nearest and safest reef. Jade quizzed Ticon on the planet, occasionally getting an answer from her father and gaining Ticon's interest. Martha was most interested in his biology. Ticon was an easy going guy, joking and not minding social faux passes that tended to happen in the Doctor's presence and in the general 'out of our own time' way. 

There was something that bothered him, though. 

"Lately the dolphins have been agitated around here. They told me to stay away from the reef out north but I can't make sense of the reason", he told them once it was found out the Doctor fixed problems as a lifestyle. 

"The reef, you say?", the Doctor was instantly hooked, "I'll check it out. Girls, you look after each other" 

They gave him betrayed looks. Jade crossed her arms. 

"We know how to dive now, you have no excuse to leave us behind!", she protested. 

"I came along to help. We all go. I promise to keep Jade away from dangers", Martha said calmly. 

"And I promise to keep danger away from us", Jade lifted a table with her telekinesis to emphasize her point, startling Ticon. 

The Doctor looked between them and conceded grudgingly. And so they all went towards the reef. Some dolphins circled them. Ticon said they were trying to warn them away. All of them were alluding to some monster or such. But also told them there was no records or any instances of a sea monster since the discovery of the planet thousands of years ago. 

" _ Something _ is down there, all right", the Doctor muttered as they neared the place scanning with his sonic which seemed to agitate the dolphins a little, "But from this distance I can't tell if it's technological or biological in origin" 

Jade was frowning up at him, clinging to a particularly friendly dolphin at the large open 'launch bay' that led to the water, "Dad, you're distressing them" 

Ticon had his hands over his head, "I have to admit the sound is grating. I recommend not using it underwater. The dolphins might destroy it in self defence" 

The Doctor hummed and started fiddling with the options of the screwdriver. Martha emerged from underwater, laughing in delight at how playful the dolphins were. Jade yelped in surprise when her dolphin started towards the others and laughed too when she was dragged into an impromptu race. It all was interrupted by Ticon and the dolphins turning sharply towards the reef as if hearing something they didn't. 

"It's Melo! She's hurt!", Tican was already rushing towards the water where the dolphins were going crazy, diving deep and letting out clicking noises. 

It didn't take a lot of brainpower to put together that one of the dolphins had gotten hurt somehow. Martha and Jade dove in to see and gasped at the sight under. Their helmets had communication devices so hearing each other wasn't a problem. It also let the Doctor hear their explanations on what was happening. 

" _ There's a crazy writhing mess of corals down here! _ ", Martha exclaimed, " _ It's swinging around and hitting everything and… Jade? Is it growing? _ " 

"It- Yes, it's growing!", Jade gasped fearfully, "Fast! And it got Melo!" 

The dolphin was clearly struggling to get free of a tangle with sharp edges. It seemed to only be hurting her. Ticon was diving straight for her. The Doctor dropped in and promptly dove after Ticon. He took something out of the belt belonging in the suit, something Jade vaguely recognized as a tool she'd asked about a week ago. 

" _ Ticon, get back! _ ", she and the Doctor ordered over the comms in sync. 

The diver had the good sense to listen. The Doctor threw his device. The writhing mess of coral froze on contact, continuing at the sides. Melo let out a startled cry as she froze for a second too before struggling free of the now limp creature. Ticon promptly looked her over, clicking out questions and herding her towards his home away from home. Most likely for a checkup. 

" _ What's happening? _ ", Martha asked over the comms as the Doctor ushered them back and up, inside the floating house. 

" _ The coral is alive! …I mean, more alive than usually _ ", the Doctor told them. 

"But why?", Jade asked. 

" _ That's what we're going to find out _ " 

The girls traded excited glances. It  _ had _ been two weeks since the last adventure. 

xXXx

It was late afternoon when they set off towards the center of the disturbance. Some twisting coral pillars almost reached the surface. It was quite scary since they were  _ still growing _ . Ticon had tried to argue his pod into staying out of it but they had refused quite soundly. It led to the dolphin man arguing them to staying close to the house instead. 

The Doctor somehow managed to get Jade to stay inside the TARDIS for protection and to run deep scans. He'd showed her the basics some time ago. The TARDIS itself had also helped her when she tried things herself. It had saved the Doctor from trouble a time or two. 

Something the Time Lord complained about at times. 

Anyway. Jade was in the TARDIS with her helmet still on, the time ship linking it to the other helmets even outside her barrier. Ticon himself was the guide through the dangerous corals. The Doctor was who had the best chances to find out what in the world could stop the expansion. They knew it originated from one point which they were trying to reach. Martha was the actual medical officer and an extra pair of hands and eyes. Jade kept lookout and tried to figure out what the thing was. 

Thinking of, "The scans show it gives off pulses of bioconic energy" 

" _ Oh _ ", the Doctor sounded troubled, " _ That makes things interesting _ " 

" _ How so?", _ Ticon asked. 

Jade saw they were neatly avoiding any big masses of coral growths, getting closer and closer to the epicenter of action. 

" _ It's most likely a terraformer that went wonky. Aren't they illegal here?" _

" _ They are _ ", Tican's voice was dark, " _ They distrupt the ecosystems too much here. No wonder everything is going crazy _ " 

" _ Well, how are we going to shut it down?", _ Martha wondered. 

The Doctor was silent as he considered options. Jade quietly informed them a ball of corals had drifted off the ocean floor and was floating ten feet under them. It left a hole straight towards the place where all the action started. The terraformer. They acknowledged her prompt. 

" _ Ticon, I need to use my sonic screwdriver on it _ " 

They could hear the driver's grimace,  _ "...It doesn't matter. I know these waters and it's currents better than either of you. I need to get you to the end _ " 

" _ Good. Great. Martha, let's go _ " 

The trio dove deeper, led by Ticon. Jade warmed them of approaching coral a few times, guiding them around the worst parts. They reached the place. 

The Doctor told Martha and Ticon to get away and out. 

Jade felt herself freeze, "...Dad?" 

" _ Don't worry, Jade. It's not anything _ too  _ crazy _ " 

"...Okay", her voice was small, afraid. 

Martha and Ticon were safely away from the terraformer, behind some corals. It took only ten seconds. Then there was a whirring noise that intensified before something  _ exploded _ and something else smacked around. Jade's heart was in her throat as she waited. And waited. 

" _ Whoo! _ ", the Doctor whooped, " _ Jade, how do the scans look _ " 

She sighed in relief and looked. It took a moment for her to see something different. 

"The bioconic waves stopped and the coral isn't moving anymore. Or growing. You did it!", she giggled in relief. 

" _ Doctor, Ticon is unconscious! _ ", Martha's voice brought the euphoria back down, " _ I need to get him to the surface for a better look _ " 

" _ Jade, guide them up _ ", the Doctor told her. 

She did so, warning them of rougher patches. But… she couldn't see currents. Only the transmitters in their suits. Martha moved carefully.  _ Too _ carefully. And the Doctor was still at the terraformer. 

Martha gasped suddenly, " _ The dolphins! They came to help! _ " 

Jade laughed in relief and delight, "Way to go!" 

From them on it only took a matter of minutes to get the two to the house. During that time Jade noted the Doctor  _ still _ hadn't moved and asked if everything was okay. He was apparently pulling metal parts together to not leave them contaminating the ocean floor. Apparently some dolphins showed up there too and they  _ somehow _ figured out what he was doing. 

Ticon regained consciousness soon and Martha expertly checked his ears that had no earlobes and were, well, alien. She'd come far in the months she'd been researching and looking into the stuff. There was some damage but nothing permanent. Luckily. 

The Doctor and the dolphins came up soon after and dumped the pieces of the terraformer on board. Jade was surprised it wasn't bigger than a coffee table. Something that small had caused so much damage and overgrowth. The Doctor started explaining some parts to her and the science behind bioconics. It was almost completely new information for her. 

Ticon and Martha took to getting some food for all of them and moving  _ away _ from the reef now full of overgrown corals. 

The dolphins cheered and played with each other until Jade decided she'd had enough of studying and jumped in. Ticon started showing them tricks and things they could do with the pod. Martha watched the show from the sidelines, having had enough of swimming for that day. The Doctor bundled the destroyed terraformer into the TARDIS. 

The time travelers decided to stay for one more day during which they dove deeper, met people who could pass as mermaids, saw awe inspiring underwater caves and forests, watched the planet's pink sunrise after experiencing a moonless night… There was a lot to do and so much Ticon and the dolphins showed them. Majestic sea creatures native to the planet were best seen from an underwater cliff andlived near a dormant volcano. They even had time to see a storm from afar, alongside a self contained whirlpool that didn't pull things in, instead flinging the house and dolphin pod around it and to a new direction. 

It was the Fortune Waypoint for the way it never seemed to choose the same direction twice, according to Ticon and the Doctor (who also correctly calculated which way they would end up in seconds but that was neither here nor there). 

All in all, Jade was satisfied by their trip. Martha was too. Ticon was glad to have met them. The Doctor loved the adventure. 

Everyone was satisfied when they finally stepped into the TARDIS and pulled into the time vortex, towards the next unknown. 

xXXx

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp. Cutting it VERY close to my self-imposed deadline here. I mean, it was the 10th minutes ago for me. 
> 
> Sorry, it's a bit shorter than the others but I was having a block with this while also focusing on some other stuff. The end of school was stressful for more than one reason, my sleep schedule is slowly but surely getting better, and I just started a piano course thingy. 
> 
> My brain also decided it was a great idea to make new Cycles and new chapters for the other ones. Which I am a bit happy about but this one was supposed to be priority. Oh well. I'll try to get the next chapter done within two weeks but if it doesn't work then once again, come knocking if I don't have it out by 10th of the next month.


	10. Dr John Smith vs Bullies

It had been two months since they came to Earth. Two months of hiding, of staying still, and Jade wasn't used to that. She'd tried Skipping again a few times before the Family attacked. Actually, it was because she Skipped that they were in this mess to begin with. It sometimes made her feel guilty except everyone around her assured it wasn't her fault. 

Martha, the Ponds, even Dad even if he didn't remember half the time. 

Dad was in the watch. Or, her Dad's _memories_ and _Time Lord_ essence were in the watch. The Chameleon Arch. One she wore around her neck all the time as reassurance and protection. To protect her from their pursuers, hide her presence. And to protect _him_. She was the only one who could really hear him right then. Telepathy was handy like that. 

The TARDIS was a huge help in keeping her mental state intact. Rina too. She was much much better than nearly three Earth years ago, an eight year old without direction and scared of abrupt noises or touch. 

Still, this… It was like she was apart from her Dad in a whole new way, like she hadn't really been until now. 

"Jade?", his voice came from the door of the Ponds, a smile in his voice and a… peace that wasn't usually there. 

"Dad!", she said happily and left the board game the family had been playing. It was clear Melody was winning anyway. 

The human at the door had the distinct shape and looks of the Doctor but he wasn't the _whole_ of him. He wasn't a Time Lord and didn't remember anything from when he had been a Time Lord. Martha was confused by him. By John Smith. To be fair, Jade had been confused by him too. It was like he was a new person, which he kind of was, but Jade could tell he was still the Doctor. 

It was the connection, the way his emotions and his mind felt. How he still knew what mood she was in even without her projecting. How he felt the same even as he felt lighter and less held down by sorrows. It was just a new _side_ for him. A 'what if' that told of a _human_ him. 

She still wished he hadn't hidden _everything_ about aliens for him to call the alien simply 'absurd'. It wasn't like there _wasn't_ footage of a spaceship crashing to big ben, or of people climbing to rooftops around the world, or of ghostly apparitions appearing everywhere before they condensed into frightening robot people that weren't _people_ anymore. All of which Melody had shown her in the last months. 

It's not like _she herself_ could levitate objects and pry into people's emotions. 

Jade grasped the Doctor's hand, they said their goodbyes and thank yous to the Ponds who had watched over them for a time, and left for their small apartment that had come with her Dad's brief stint as a substitute physics teacher in a nearby high school. Martha had taken a job there as a school doctor with the same requirements. She had the training for it from one of the planets they'd visited. There were some clashes in protocol, apparently, but it was nothing too big. Right now she was mostly just… tired of doing check-ups on teens that didn't want to _go_ to check-ups and rearranging with ones who simply forgot to come for their allotted time. 

The Doctor and Jade talked about how their days had gone. Her Dad once again having nearly blown the class subject out of proportions and almost forgot to give an appropriate amount of homework for the appropriate _subject_. 

It was about how she thought her Dad would react to something like teaching. As a human he was most likely doing much better than as an alien, actually. For some reason the kids liked him, though. Jade could understand. He made things much more fun. Usually. 

"Melody chased away a boy who thought I was too short to play games", she said about her own day at one point. 

That was a slip and had John Smith rising an eyebrow suspiciously, "Did she now?" 

Jade winced. Yes, the other kids teased her for being so much shorter and younger than them and knowing too much and how her hair was poofy and her dark skin and her unpredictable absences… Okay, she was getting teased quite a lot which resulted in Melody and her being the outsiders. Melody kept the bullies away with needle sharp comments and her wit. Plus her quick feet and reflexes when they'd once tried to kick a football at her head. 

Melody didn't counterattack mostly because Jade convinced her otherwise. The teachers were aware of the situation and had had talks with the other children, mediating, but it had only marginally helped. Well, with one girl it had and now she always defended them if the others started name calling or things. 

To be honest, Jade didn't really care about the teasing situation. She just liked to spend time with Melody. If Dr. John Smith got involved there, well… there might be explosions. Verbal ones. And the children too might get a tongue lashing which would be… sharp. Sharper than Melody's. She wasn't completely sure it would help and if it _didn't_ then John Smith wouldn't want her to go there anymore. The Doctor neither. Even if the Doctor would better understand _how_ mature Jade was and how she could defend herself and even how _little_ she cared for the opinions of her schoolmates. 

There were many nice ones too whom she helped with schoolwork or other stuff. Those she gladly listened to. 

Not that it mattered. From the look in his eyes and the feelings he couldn't hide in human form, John Smith was getting involved. 

xXXx

With a visit to Melody and her's middle school, the teasing… abruptly stopped. Jade didn't really want to know what he did. It was just another reminder that even if the Doctor was human right now, he was still the Doctor. Something Martha had a hard time putting together. 

There was nothing to be done for the fact that Martha's family wasn't in sync with her right then. They'd planned to drop her off three months after she'd started traveling. It would've been the opposite to tell them about aliens and things… Oh well. That was after this adventure. In which the Family of Blood would surely find them. 

But. They'd have help. Martha's new job gave them invaluable backup. It was at Torchwood Three. 

That was how Jade met Jack Harkness. She got the same feeling she'd gotten when meeting River and Ashildr for the first time. That she'd meet him again and that this _wasn't_ their first meeting. Another thing to look forward to in the future. 

"Jade Smith, I presume?", his eyes twinkled with humor as he shook her small hand. 

She smiled up at him, "Yeah. Nice to meet you… Captain Jack?" 

He blinked, as if surprised, before smirking, "I haven't been called that in a while. Nice to meet you too, Jade" 

And she knew they had met before. Or in the future. Whichever. Time travel made things complicated but she was used to that. She'd just write this in Twist for future reference. 

The next night there was a flash of green light in the sky. 

xXXx

Torchwood worked on the case restlessly. They came up with a plan of action and approached the fallen spacecraft which had already attracted a bit of attention. Two of Torchwood agents disappeared. One gaseous creature was captured and interrogated by means unknown to Jade who suspected involvement from a future her. It was the Mother of the Family. Martha kept her in the loop on what was happening which was just as well because if she hadn't… Jade had ways of finding out herself. It just might not have been very safe _or_ pretty. 

Her Dad reassured her when things started going crazy. And things went _totally_ crazy. 

The remaining members of the Family found them. No, they found _Melody_ . Who had accidentally lost the necklace a future Doctor had given her. She didn't know when or how but it was _gone_ when they left for home from school. It was the first time Jade had seen her sister panic. 

It worsened when two Torchwood agents came near and ordered them to come with for their protection. Jade couldn't feel them properly. Their emotions didn't register on a normal scale and she was put on her guard. She and Melody didn't move. The Doctor felt cold and calculating and not sure how they had found them. There was a slow fury building up too. 

Then a gaseous creature came out of nowhere, the two agents cheering on 'Daughter of Mine' and 'Sister of Mine' as she flew straight for Melody. Jade reacted. 

She jumped in front of her, clutching the Chameleon Arch, and put her shields up as hard and fast as they could go. The gaseous creature immediately slammed against the mental wall, struggling to get in her head or _out_ of her head but Jade was focused on not letting her _move_. It was strong. And scary. And she was desperate and called for Rina. 

_'Let her in'_ , Rina commanded suddenly and Jade, used to trusting her implicitly, did so. 

Sudden pain erupted in her head and she cried out but then Rina was there, the pain was gone, and she _felt_ her constant companion's presence _grow_. Enormous. Eternal. No clear beginning or an end. She felt powerful and wrathful and suddenly the threat of getting taken over was insignificant. The once strong hits against her shields were gone in favor of terrified quivering in face of a being that felt so old and infinite. 

**_'You dare invade_** **my** ** _home?'_** _,_ Rina's voice, no, her _Will_ , echoed everywhere, growing and growling like thunder and lightning and Jade had never felt so safe before _,_ ** _'GeT Out Or_** **ELSE!** ** _'_**

And Jade looked on in awe as a forceful push _slammed_ the gas creature out of her body. The Daughter seemed to just float there and she couldn't feel emotions or anything. Rina felt satisfied and told her she was unconscious. Her Dad's sharp panic and anger faded into confusion. She looked to the two shocked aliens-possessing-people and took a step back. 

"Run", she whispered, grabbing Melody's hand, " _Run!_ " 

And they ran. 

The aliens gave chase after worrying over the unconscious gas being. Jade was running through a mental list of people she could call for and settled on the newest number in her phone. Only one ring in he answered. 

"I've already sent backup to your location. Go to your Dad", the curt voice of Jack Harkness came through the receiver and Jade was now _certain_ a future _someone_ was helping them, which made her tense shoulders untense a little. 

"Thanks", she breathed in and closed the call to focus on running. 

Melody giggled with nerves as they skidded around a corner and ran straight into a line of Torchwood soldiers who waved them past them and told them to run home as quickly as they could, two of them running along to protect them. It was weird and fast action and for some reason Jade was starting to kind of enjoy it. 

Then there were gunshots behind them, something in her emotional radar just… _disappeared_ , and she didn't anymore. Melody was leading now with her longer legs and stronger body, taking them on a familiar path towards the Ponds' home where they were nearly certain to run into John Smith too. Jade perked up when she felt someone ahead and looked up to see her Dad's surprise at seeing them running with two soldiers. 

Or, he interpreted they were running _from_ the soldiers and was ready to pull the two kids behind him to protect them. 

"Dad, they helped us get away!", Jade corrected him in a rush once she was behind him, clinging to his coat and panting for breath. 

"Get away? Get away from _who?_ ", John Smith was baffled and slightly scared for his daughter's wellbeing. 

Just then some scarecrow things rounded the corner with more Torchwood soldiers bringing some of them down. They didn't have enough specialized weapons to take down all of them fast enough, though. The crowd of scarecrows was protecting the soldier Jade recognized as the Son of the Family. 

" _Him!_ ", she squeaked in fear, clutching at the Chameleon Arch. 

He noticed Jade and started roaring threats at her for doing 'that' to his sister and setting the soldiers on his father and mother. Or something like that. 

The soldiers turned to them and told them to get away, to get _home_ and forget this ever happened. John was ready to run but the Doctor wasn't. There were differences between what the Doctor and what his human self would want. Jade let her Dad haul her and Melody around before stopping him in his tracks. They were nearly to the TARDIS who was beckoning them to come to her. 

"Dad", she carefully took the watch from around her neck and gave it to him, "It's time. You've got to remember" 

John was unnerved but trusted her as he took the watch, "Remember? Jade, what's happening?" 

The little girl smiled sadly, "You know, those dreams you've been having?" 

"What of them?", he narrowed his eyes. 

"Pssh. They're _real_ , that's what", Melody said bluntly, trembling a little from adrenaline and the close call they'd had. 

"You hid your memories of everything so the Family wouldn't find us, to give them a chance to stop chasing for immortality", Jade rushed to explain. 

He was bewildered and getting uncomfortable, clearly thinking they didn't make sense. Probably wondering which story books he should not let her read anymore… Or if _this_ was a dream. She looked to the direction of the alley and the backyard it lead to, the one where the TARDIS was. The girl grabbed her Dad's free hand and started leading him towards the Ponds' place, distractedly answering questions he threw her way. Vaguely so he wouldn't think her crazy. 

She felt him freeze in his tracks at the sight of the blue box. The Doctor's presence pulsed in the Chameleon Arch, urging himself to open it. 

Jade carefully opened up her telepathy to construct a message that a human brain could get. She'd been practicing that but hadn't yet succeeded. It didn't help that the Doctor considered it a very very hard thing to do for beginners. 'Beginners' counting as people who'd practiced under a hundred years. Not counting species advantage. This particular telepathic message was easier since she _knew_ the Doctor and thus knew John Smith. His human self was also a little susceptible to telepathy because, again, species advantage.

_'Dad'_ , she told him, _'This is real'_

He startled and looked down at her with growing apprehension and dread of the near complete _lack_ of surprise the existence of aliens brought him. It started him questioning his own existence. His own self. 

"...Who am _I_ , then? A story? Some construct? Something to be scrapped aside the instant I'm not needed?", he was baffled, bitter, a step ahead in his own thoughts. 

Jade frowned, " _No_ . It's the _other_ way around. You needed to forget, to change, so we were safe. And now you can remember again" 

The man looked at her, scrutinizing, "...Martha doesn't see _me_ as _him_ " 

Melody and Jade traded looks of exasperation. They turned to him as one. 

"You're still Dad", Jade said simply. 

"You couldn't be _anyone else_ but my Uncle", Melody scoffed, "Who else can bring a bunch of bullies to their knees and completely erase the problem just like that?", she snapped her fingers for emphasis. 

John Smith's eyes regained their sparkle and he huffed in amusement. But then he noticed Jade's slight frown. He squeezed her hand to prompt her to tell him what was wrong. 

"It's just… right now you can't remember all the things we've done together. All the times you showed me something incredible, or taught me telepathy, or how to drive the TARDIS. Not completely at least…", the dark skinned girl muttered a little dejectedly. 

The Doctor's presence in the watch grew more insistent at her sadness, sending a reassuring pulse towards her. He seemed to be glaring at John Smith. The man was looking down at the watch with fascination now, not horror or grief. He was more accepting. 

"Huh. It's weird to be split like this", he mused a little disbelievingly, locking eyes with Jade and Martha in turn, smiling a quirked smile, "...Well. Here goes nothing" 

He opened the watch. The glow spread across him slowly and unlike the other process, didn't hurt him. Like he'd promised when he'd had her leave the console room to keep from getting nightmares. Martha had related what happened after he'd gone through with the change after she'd pestered her. It was… scary and horrifying. But she immediately knew she herself would've gone through the same sort of pain to save someone. 

...She _had_ , even, on that ship three years ago. 

The Doctor grinned maniacally and Jade immediately knew he felt slightly wrong footed but happy to be what Jade considered the whole of him. Because deny as he might, the Doctor had something very human about him for a superior alien race. He threw the watch up, deftly catching it and cocking a brow at them. 

"Well, kids. You up for waiting a bit while I go save a few people?" 

It sounded a little unappealing to wait… but she could understand where he was coming from after having the scare of her nearly dying. Without Rina she might have. Another miracle in the Doctor's eyes, probably. So she shrugged with a shaky smile. Melody put her arm around her shoulders and gave him a big grin. 

"Go get 'em, Uncle!" 

And he was off. Melody and Jade stared at the spot where the TARDIS had been before the older girl took matters into her own hands and took them both inside to inform her parents that the Doctor went to end this sick hide and seek game. 

xXXx

Martha was relieved to have it all be over. She'd been living at Torchwood for the two months they'd been here, not seeing her family who weren't in the right timeline for that. Even if Jade, the Doctor, and Melody broke rules of time travel all the time it didn't mean everyone else could. She'd bonded with a few people and was surprised to see she was one of the top doctors there. She'd gotten to know her workplace and was pretty happy about that. Even if she apparently popped out of order there too sometimes… Still. She was happier now that the danger had been taken care of. 

There was still one month to her contract with the school. The Doctor had that as well which he was equally excited and annoyed by. Apparently the kids were feeling the same because his behavior and teaching was more erratic and fun now and his homework giving even weirder than before. Like Jade had suspected. 

He wouldn't tell her what he'd done with the Family. Even though Melody too tried to pry it out of him. Jack told them on the side that it wasn't anything too bad and that they'd be gone within the month. She was reassured because she was certain future her or Melody or someone had been making sure it wasn't too bad. Not like in the fifty-fifty likely scenario of him trapping them in immortality if they really truly hurt one of the ones he cared about. She hadn't found out who or how but it'd been prevented so she didn't care. Or, didn't want to think about it. 

There was one thing she was struggling with, though. And she talked to Martha about it first to ask if the idea was plausible. 

"Wow. That's a big thing for someone as young as you… It's good you came to me", the woman said thoughtfully, frowning in concern, "What do you feel like doing? That's the biggest part of it, I think" 

Jade mulled over her thoughts and tried to get them into words, "I feel like Dad was right back then… I need stability to settle and life in the TARDIS isn't like that. I don't really _want_ to but I think I _need_ it. At least for a while", she huffed, "Those five months were weird when I was used to constantly moving everywhere and in the wrong order. But after that I think… I think I felt better and more sure of- of _me_ " 

Martha shook her head in amazement and pet her poofy hair gently, "Your maturity never ceases to amaze me. Just look how eloquent you are!" 

The little girl wrinkled her nose at the older woman, not sure if she liked her maturity or not when it sometimes caused her Dad more stress. She was quicker to take things into her own hands still and that too would probably go away easier if she wasn't constantly in situations where she felt she had to. That she had to _because_ she was mature. 

"If you feel it would help you're most likely right", Martha said at last as she started braiding her white locks into a loose plait, "I think it might be best to ask the Ponds and the Doctor too. You have a therapist, right? Talk to her" 

Jade hummed, not agreeing or disagreeing. Because talking to them felt like a scary thing to do when she had no idea how they would react. There was a moment of silence as Martha finished the braid and moved it over Jade's shoulder, leaning around to look at her work. She met the girl's light grey eyes with a reassuring and understanding smile. 

"I can talk for you if you want me to" 

Her eyes went wide and she realized she'd once again forgotten asking for help was a thing she could do. It frustrated her sometimes, that she forgot so easily, but it was getting better. At least everyone around her said so. She smiled and nodded. 

Martha settled the braid better and grinned, "You should wear your hair like this sometimes. It looks very pretty" 

Jade scowled up at her and threw the braid back over her shoulder, "But it pulls on my head and makes it feel a thousand times more heavy!", she complained. 

Tellingly, she still kept the plait as Martha led her out of the room and towards the Doctor and the Ponds who were having dinner said man had cooked with Melody. Jade rushed over to her sister because she knew for certain the girl would take the news the best. She looked at the adults slightly warily as Martha started explaining the situation. She slowly relaxed as everyone seemed only a little bit surprised but not dismayed or disappointed. 

The Ponds welcomed her to stay with them for the year she planned to stay on Earth. As she predicted, Melody was very very excited. Her Dad… 

She peeked at him. He was… proud? What? She blushed lightly as he explained this was the first time she'd really truly _asked_ for something concerning her own comfort and wellbeing. That it also went against her own wants made it something to be proud about, apparently. She didn't really get it but at least he wasn't angry or sad. 

Besides, he was staying on Earth for this month too because the kids were good practice for when he would teach her things again. Jade was happy to have him for the month. And he'd promised to visit through the year she'd be staying. Martha would alternate between traveling with him and going to Torchwood to save people's lives. 

Talking about Torchwood… The Doctor had been shocked to see Jack Harkness. Apparently he'd traveled with him at some point but had to stay behind by reasons unknown. The men had embraced and the Doctor had asked why. Jack had only said Jade's name in answer. 

Exasperation on the Doctor's part had immediately been directed at the complicated mess that was his daughter's timeline. Jack had only laughed and said she was a charming young lady. That earned him a light glare from the Doctor which basically meant 'hands off'. Or so Martha said when she described the interaction to Jade with entirely too much amusement. 

Anyway, things were great, ever changing, and the month was over entirely too quickly. Jade watched the TARDIS disappear from the Ponds' backyard with mixed feelings. She looked up at the sky, the stars, and wondered where her Dad and Martha would end up this time. 

Then she turned back to Melody who squeezed her hand in comfort and started slowly but surely looking forward to the coming year. 

xXXx

**A sketch of Jade as a bonus:**

Click [here](https://66.media.tumblr.com/519bf0088890e2ad65db0cad7d1b5501/1d1f25bcb91afe72-f5/s640x960/da669f986a967501900da22c9e7c7704ec1b4f54.png) to see better if you're using a phone or something. Art by me! XD

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> By my calculations two weeks has passed tomorrow. Thus, I'm publishing this a little early! Maybe it's an apology for doing it pretty much after the deadline last time. 
> 
> As you can see, Human Nature/Family of Blood did not happen how it did in the original show. Not at all. You might also be wondering where in the world the Lazarus episode disappeared... Well, I've got plans. And those kinda shifted things around and erased other things. 
> 
> No, I'm not telling what things were erased. It's less than you might think, though. 
> 
> What do you think of Jade at this point? Because I'm pretty happy with her but would like to know if it's just me. Did I do okay with the chapter? It was kinda hard to write and some of it was written on my phone so there might be auto-correct mistakes. 
> 
> Anyway, I'll try to get another chapter done within the next two weeks again and if I can't then a month is the absolute deadline.
> 
> Thanks for all the wonderful comments and kudos and I hope you're enjoying this as much as I am! 
> 
> Also, there now exists a CHRONOLOGICAL CYCLES LIST with LINKS to the Cycles if you want to read the series that way. It's in the 20th work in this series. 
> 
> EDIT 24.6.2020: I split the first chapter in half because it was getting annoying to have 9 chapters here and 10 chapters on FFN. Sorry for any confusion!


	11. Year of Normalcy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jade's year on earth.

School was much more fun now that the teasing had been cut to a minimum. Melody found her bracelet in the lost-and-found and was significantly relieved to have it with her again. Jade was curious as to why but was distracted by her newer history books and making blueprints for a bicycle that  _ looked _ normal but could turn into a small hovercraft. That, and teaching her sister about alien technology and how to fix it. 

The adult Ponds were supervising, of course. Which was why they couldn't really do more than an hour a day. Rory worked most of the day at the hospital and Amy was the second of a charity called A Charitable Earth. It was apparently founded to help orphans and underprivileged children, led by whom Amy identified as the Doctor's former companion. Jade couldn't meet her yet because she lived in New York for most of the year, managing the American branch of the charity there. It basically made Amy in charge of the company here in Britain. 

They had moved the charity's base from London to Leadworth even if they kept an office there too. 

She participated in lots of activities. Melody and her went swimming often, the adult Ponds going with them the first two times before letting them go on their own. Then they got bored of swimming in pools and started doing parkour. It opened up the neighborhood rooftops which Amy rolled her eyes at and told them to not get caught. Rory didn't know until one day when Melody jumped down in front of him to ask what was for dinner. He didn't quite know what to think, telling them to be very careful. 

There was gymnastics in PE class and Jade took interest. Amy signed her up for a weekly lesson and Melody tagged along for the simple want of not letting her go alone. It turned out they didn't really care for how constricted the movements were and instead went to a kind of circus club where the instructor basically let them pursue their own interests. Melody was good at juggling and body coordination requiring things. Jade found herself liking stretches and balancing. She was also at home doing choreography and aerial acrobatics. 

It was strange how…  _ normal _ it was to make a performance with her sister, doing pair acrobatics and combining it with their strengths, then actually  _ doing _ it in front of an audience where the Ponds watched proudly. Martha and the Doctor came to watch too and congratulated them for it. They decided to tone down the circus things after that to focus more on other stuff, like alien tech and little projects that might or might not be little. It remained a fun hobby, however. 

Jade didn't miss the Doctor or Martha much, mostly because they kept stopping by. She also got to see the next regeneration of the Doctor pretty often. Eleventh, because that's what he identified as, complained about not finding enough times for visiting since Tenth was always stopping by too. It was also how Jade found out the significance of the bracelet. 

Apparently Melody too was different from a normal human child in that she had  _ regeneration energy _ , which Jade should have guessed what with River and all. But that also meant  _ she _ was in danger of being sensed and found and to combat that the Doctor had given her something to conceal it. He couldn't do it to himself with his whole biology being that of a Time Lord's. Melody was strictly  _ human _ in biology so it was different. Like Jade herself. Or so he said. 

It gave the two girls just that one bit more in common, though. That was good. They joked they were their  _ own _ species, not humans or Time Lords but time children instead. 

Jade settled. She was constantly doing things but the things around her weren't really shifting this way and that in time and space. It made her feel… relaxed in a way she hadn't felt in her life so far. There had always been an undercurrent of  _ change _ that she hadn't been able to outrun with the fun of adventures. She'd constantly been on her toes, warily thinking back on her visions and the tingling of an incoming Skip. 

It felt like this was a break from her life, one she'd desperately needed since she'd set foot on the ground for the first time. 

The year went by agonizingly slowly but surprisingly swiftly. Melody turned 14 and Jade turned 12. The Ponds held a party where they invited Sarah Jane Smith, a former companion, and her children Luke and Skye. Who had apparently been designed as weapons of mass destruction but ended up getting adopted by their mother as the two time kids just found out. Weird and cool. Luke's friends Clyde and Rani came over too and the children had fun comparing adventures. 

Dorothy McShane, the founder of A Charitable Earth, came by too to surprise everyone. Of the kids she gravitated towards Jade and Melody quite a lot, most likely because she knew Melody since she was a small kid and Jade… Actually, she wasn't quite sure why the woman spent time with her. Except,  _ then _ she started talking about chemistry and explosive substances and Jade was hooked in the discussion. She distantly felt like the woman knew she was interested in learning all kinds of new things but didn't care to think too deeply about something that would without a doubt involve time traveling messes. 

Her Dad came by in the evening after the party was over and everyone was getting ready to leave. It was his Tenth self, and  _ quite _ surprised to find Sarah Jane and Dorothy amiably chatting in the doorway. They gave him teasing remarks and scolded him for not showing up earlier. 

He gave as good as he got, which Jade found amusing as she drifted closer to stand by him. Martha came in too and was also surprised to find the two had traveled with the Doctor. She asked how they knew the Ponds and it lead to a surprising revelation of how the Doctor's other incarnation had apparently helped them save Melody from something. Another thing to happen out of order. 

It explained how easily the family had accepted Jade and the Doctor popping in and out of their lives. 

Anyway, Jade was to stay for another four months and then she would be back in the TARDIS again. She was looking forward to it even if she was also going to miss the stability living in one place with supportive, loving people and a day-to-day routine gave. Melody was egging her to go along with some  _ pretty _ crazy schemes in that time, deciding that they should make the most of it. 

At least they only had to run from the police once. It was fun. Even if Amy was less than amused and Rory was a worried mother hen. 

Or so Melody described them after their scolding. 

They also found a curious device at the attic. Jade took a few seconds to recognize it as a (or  _ the _ ) Vortex Manipulator and immediately went about seeing what was wrong with it. Melody took an interest and they spent a fair amount of time looking it over and asking the Doctor for tips and tricks. Jack Harkness was the best help since he apparently had a working one and abruptly stopped by once or twice when they were truly stuck on what in the world a piece or button was for and how to safely take the  _ mini time machine _ apart. 

Months trickled by until it really was Jade's time to leave again. The size of her backpack really didn't give a feel for the sheer amount of things packed into it. All the trinkets and books and clothes she'd gathered over the year, or gotten out of the Ponds' generosity. She wouldn't be surprised if they'd put in some surprises as well. 

The Doctor and Martha had spent maybe half a year traveling the universe with both occasionally parting ways, Martha going to her time to spend time with family and her new job and Doctor going on self-imposed missions out of boredom or actual need. Today would be the day Jade joined them permanently after a year long break. She was practically brimming with excitement, hair plaited in two loose braids to honor the occasion. It was white and had actually  _ been _ white for the whole day, which she'd missed from living in the TARDIS. The freedom of looking like herself. 

Melody, who was much taller than her now but still short for her age, pat her head to calm her down. Jade pouted and thought she couldn't  _ wait _ to grow herself. She looked about 9 now, a little bit taller than two years ago. 

All that was forgotten as the TARDIS materialized in her spot, the doors eagerly flying open to welcome her back. Jade smiled wide as she looked back to her family away from Dad before taking a running start into the console room. She flung her arms wide as she got in, jumping up the ramp and stopping with her head tilted back to see the ceiling. The doors gently closed behind her. 

"I'm home!", she cheered, finding agreement and relief in everyone around her. 

After taking a while away from it all she was much more sure of it. Jade was a time child and she clearly belonged in the TARDIS, traveling all around the universe.

xXXx

It had been a while since she Skipped. A year. A whole year. The Doctor said her time energy levels didn't rise so rapidly when she wasn't otherwise moving through time. So it wasn't exactly a surprise when only a week and a half after getting on board she felt the prickle at the back of her neck. Immediately she darted out of her room, book in hand, and ran for the console room. 

"Dad!", she called out as she skidded to a stop. 

The Doctor turned around with slightly troubled emotions and she  _ knew _ then that he already knew she was going. He smiled at her, reassuring, as he pressed a few buttons. Jade stayed mostly still, knowing movement could mess up her landing and that was either dangerous or a mild inconvenience. 

"Don't worry too much", he said, "We'll get you soon" 

She scrunched up her brows as she felt herself get pulled in the vortex, imparting one last message to her Dad. 

"...It's not that simple this time"

And the Doctor felt something like dread building up as his daughter disappeared completely. The Time Lord had known Jade had excess energy built up from the year without her Skips. The jump would be big and more unpredictable than most. He turned to the console, wondering what the Old Girl had planned. 

xXXx

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey. Sorry, it took a month. Mostly because this chapter was fighting me tooth and nail. It's also shorter than the others because of that. And it ends in a cliffhanger of a sort for the same reason. I'm probably gonna be stuck with writing the rest of this 'arc' for the next month too... It's gonna be an intimidating writing experience.
> 
> Anyway, what did you guys think of Melody and Jade's activities? They were fun to put in. Yes, Ace has founded A Charitable Earth canonically and I'm using it here to give Amy a job I think she can get behind.
> 
> See you in two weeks or at the end of a month. Or whenever I get over the writer's block on this. Or if you're reading my other Cycles then there if I update some of them instead.
> 
> Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed it!


	12. Artistic Skip

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Skip getting complicated.

Jade closed her eyes tightly and let strands of time take her wherever she was headed. Vague flashes swam in her head, making her Skipping headache knock about and transform to mild nausea. Usually a Skip didn't feel this bad. Like she'd been flung through something she shouldn't. 

A sharp scent of forest and mild gases reminded her that she was standing somewhere unknown. Lost in space and time again. She took a breath and looked. A forest. Not the magical kind of forest that the home planet of Cheem had. The trees were twisting and full of curvy branches. Some thicker ones looked like they could be used as slides. 

A tortoise looking bird flew over her head and she yelped, ducking out of the way. She hadn't seen one like that before and was intrigued. At this point she'd gone through pretty many planets in her readings and knew quite a bit about what inhabited the universe at different times. 

Well, she said quite a bit but what she meant was a small fraction of the Time Academy curriculum. And some extra things the Academy wouldn't have considered teaching its students. 

Or so the Doctor said when he gleefully taught her how to grow banana trees in cold environments. 

Jade walked, trying to spread her still very weak time sense to get an idea as to where she was. It was fluctuating between before Earth was born to a few million years after that. She felt like she was trying to draw a thin straight fine line with a broom dipped in black paint while holding it afloat by the handle tip with her toes. It never ceased to be frustrating but she was determined to get it right someday. 

Since she couldn't rely on an inner sense she had to find out by examining her surroundings. The forest undergrowth was thick and unlike to one on Earth. The leaves were crunchy or soft and some resembled sea shells she'd seen on her diving trips with dolphins and Ticon. The ground wasn't like any of the soil she was used to seeing. For one, it was green, and second it felt… bouncy. Her feet dipped into it like jello but didn't sink like at a swamp. She couldn't see brown dirt anywhere, just different types of green. 

There were sounds of habitation coming from the place she was walking towards. Light filtered through leaves in a cacophony of yellow and white. As she reached the edge of the forest she found herself staring at a sun in the horizon, colored yellow, and one high up in the sky looking like Earth's sun. The landscape was green and yellow with dark orange mixed in at parts, seeming to be types of rock. 

A bustling town was right next to the forest. Darker green colored roads lead towards it with bubble covered vehicles leaving in and out, going on deeper lines dug in them. Humanoid people with brown-ish skin and upturned noses were leaving in and out, walking through the bubble and into the seats set there. Some had strange bags full of things. Others wore cases on their backs and had helmets with an antenna or two. The clothes were very varied in color and Jade guessed hers would fit right in. 

She needed to do something here. That was for certain. She started walking towards town where some others were already rushing about, a few children playing at a green tinted stream. One of them threw a helmet aside and complained in a language Jade vaguely remembered. 

Really, she was going to need a translator if this kept happening. The Doctor always forgot to give her one or tweaked a broken communication device with her. She kind of suspected he liked her goal of learning as many languages as she could and was giving her time to do so before she completely relied on translators. Which was nice but annoying in situations like these. 

The kids left it there, abandoned. Jade rushed out from behind the cover of trees and grabbed it, putting it on and stuffing her poofy hair in it so the strange color wouldn't be seen. 

The subspecies of humans clearly liked variety and had hair of many different styles and colors… none of them just seemed to be  _ white _ . Which she was slightly baffled about. The girl then determinedly walked into town, certain she was going in the right direction. 

xXXx

The TARDIS was shaking and turning more wildly than a house in an earthquake. Martha clung to the railings in fear as she was nearly thrown off her feet for the third time. 

"What's happening!?", she shouted over the groaning and shifting structures around her, because this wasn't usually  _ this _ wild. 

The Doctor grit his teeth as he tried to pilot his way through the same lane Jade had slipped through. It wasn't working. The place was a headache for time travelers everywhere right then. A distortion in time, a fold that wasn't supposed to be there. When the TARDIS started flashing a warning light he was forced to give in and pull them back into the vortex. Outside looking in. 

"Someone's messed with time here!", he ground out an answer to Martha, "We can't get to Jade through it" 

"Well, can we go from the side?", the human asked, feeling weird for asking right after it left her mouth. 

The Doctor shook his head, "No, time doesn't work li- Martha,  _ you're brilliant! _ " 

He started pressing buttons and guiding the TARDIS towards the  _ place _ where the interference took was, ignoring the time aspect entirely. 

Hopefully what he had in mind would work in puncturing a way in for them. 

xXXx

Jade looked through the broken visor that seemed to be a computer interface but simpler. It was smudged at the edges and a flickering light blue circle was frozen on it. She bet that was the reason it was thrown away. The girl resisted the urge to take it apart and focused on getting through the crowd. 

Something was happening here. Some kind of festival or gathering. There were families, adults, kids, and elderly all walking about around stalls and shop windows. 

The town was full of colors. The buildings were similar yet different, some twisting and others full of shapes. No blocky grey apartment buildings anywhere. She liked it. The place was beautiful. If kinda feeling like an abstract art painting. 

She rushed around a  _ very _ sharp corner of a triangle building with blue and purple statue hands reaching out and framing windows. Each had something strange or different about them. Like a missing finger or hole or an eye. She couldn't stay to investigate. She was in a hurry. 

There was a lot of music, each a different instrument and a different style. Some bigger bands playing odd flute and string instrument combinations. A drummer with something kind of like piano melodies coming out. She wanted to stay and listen like many were doing but she had a purpose here. 

She just didn't yet know what. 

A hand grabbed her shoulder and tried to pull and for a second she was thrown back to her first eight years of life. To Ruby's enraged scream and getting wrenched towards an endless day of work and pain and cold eyes. 

Rina stepped in, like she always did, even back then. When Jade was different. Whole. 

The emotion, the flashback, was shoved away for them to deal with later. Her heart thumped loudly in her ears as a concerned face with pink and green hair falling on top came to her field of vision. They talked and she couldn't hear. Couldn't have understood if she had. She forced her lips into a smile and shook the friendly hand off, continuing on her way. 

She ran under an arc and in between the people, risking a glance back to see she wasn't followed. With relief she continued her run and ducked through a round tunnel-like alley. 

A ping, a touch on her senses, and she stopped dead to look left. 

There was a man with a light skin tone striding purposefully through the less crowded road. No one paid him attention. He walked past her. Just for a second she could feel the indifferent superiority he radiated, held tightly around him. A cold distrust behind that. The deep tumultuous and sharp uncertainty towards everything but a few exceptions. 

Part of it must have been a flash of insight. Clairvoyance. 

_ Him? I'm here for him? _ , she thought, breathless and suddenly feeling small. 

Rina nudged her. She straightened, taking a breath, keeping it in, letting it out. Like future therapist Ashie had taught her. Then she got her locked muscles to move and started after him, trailing behind the purposeful steps of the stranger. 

xXXx

He had a tail. Some small kid following him around. Curious. The cloaking technology should have let him pass unnoticed. He took bigger strides and turned to an alley between tilted buildings. Unpractical to build them like that if you asked him. 

Interestingly enough, the child could keep up. No matter. He'd take more drastic measures. 

The next intersection he slipped to a corner behind a green statue and waited. The kid ran through, stopping short as they realized he wasn't in front of them. Hmm. Perceptive. Bad for them. 

He stepped up behind the child and took out a prototype of his, aiming it at the unfortunate little human. 

"Child. Why are you following me?", he asked coldly. 

A gasp escaped what revealed to be a female child of the species and she whirled around to face him. Her mouth set stubbornly as her eyes flicked between the device and him, colored light blue behind the visor. An unusual color for someone of this place and era. 

She shrugged. He quirked a brow. That wasn't a gesture used here. 

"Most curious. Are you perhaps out of your time?", he lowered his weapon, something he shouldn't even have had on him during this assignment. 

A nervous nod. Hm. Very unusual. Time travel was closely regulated. How did she end up at  _ this _ point in time with all the interference? He smiled, an exact copy of an expression that said you could trust him. 

"And you noticed I am as well? Good eyes, little miss", he complimented, "How did you get here? Perhaps I could help you get back" 

She was quiet for a short moment, "...I'm fine, thanks… and my name is Jade"

Her language wasn't from this corner of the universe. If he guessed right, it was English from planet Earth. Curiouser and curiouser. It meant she was most likely a human. With that accent it was a time they didn't have any means of developing time travel. Such a mystery. One he didn't quite have time for right then. 

His expression dropped to a cool and neutral one, "That's alright then. I'm quite busy so I'd advise you to stop stalking me. Things could get dangerous" 

Jade stared at him before smiling, "I'm used to danger" 

Clearly he wasn't getting rid of her without more direct measures. He frowned at the thought of using them. Thete would be so disapproving, the sanctimonious fool. 

He tapped his weapon to his palm, gaze intent, "You better not get in the way"

Then he started marching towards his task, not looking to see if she followed. 

xXXx

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was right. Writing this part has proven to be exceptionally challenging. Mostly because of a new certain someone...
> 
> *throws accusing glance at newcomer and is ignored* 
> 
> It resulted in the adventure being cut off again at this part. Can't do a thing about it, unfortunately. I'll once again try to keep updates within a month. This time is gonna be harder since I've got an important exam coming up. 
> 
> Thanks for reading and all the lovely comments! Feel free to leave your thoughts on this there!


End file.
